Florida hospital board says no to 2nd COVID-19 review

Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital's board has voted against a motion asking for a second investigation into the hospital's COVID-19 policies and treatment protocols, after an initial internal review published in February concluded the hospital saw stronger outcomes among COVID-19 patients than other hospitals. 

Hospital spokesperson Kim Savage told Becker's the board voted 6-2 against a motion asking for a second investigation during a meeting April 17. One member of the nine-member board, Britt Riner, was absent. 

The vote came after about 45 minutes of public comments, Ms. Savage said. She said board member Bridgette Fiorucci made a motion for a second, independent investigation, but that motion failed after a majority of board members indicated they were satisfied with the results of the report the hospital released publicly in February.

The February report, which included independent data obtained from Premier, found the hospital outperformed national benchmarks on adult mortality rates by 24 percent for the study period of April 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2022.
 
The hospital has faced political pressure from a group of activists since the election of three "medical freedom" candidates to the hospital's board in 2022. 
 
"'Medical freedom' activists — who exercise skepticism about hospitals, clinicians and COVID-19 vaccines and treatments — have incited much of the turmoil," said Ms. Savage. "They have repeatedly lobbied the new board members to support an independent investigation."

Critics have taken aim at the hospital following federal guidelines, and hospital officials asked police in March to look into death threats made against physicians at Sarasota Memorial. 

Physicians and staff at the hospital also faced a slew of abusive threats and emails, although those died down, according to a March 14 email from Ms. Savage. 

Still, the hospital board continued to face criticism during their March and April board meetings.
 
About 50 people signed up to provide public comment during the March meeting; that number dropped to less than a dozen at the April meeting, according to Ms. Savage. She said about half of the people speaking in both meetings asked the hospital board to request a second, independent investigation, while others expressed support for the clinical care and evidence-based guidelines that the hospital followed during the pandemic.

Some people insinuated the hospital prescribed certain medications for "kickbacks" from pharmaceutical companies, while others touted "alternative treatments" for the virus and used words like "killing fields" and "biochemical warfare," the Herald-Tribune reported. Others thanked clinicians for their work at Sarasota Memorial.

 

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars