The absence of three employees at Hawaii's only comprehensive medical rehabilitation hospital following sexual misconduct allegations has delayed or interrupted care for more than 200 patients, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.
Honolulu-based Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific fired then-CMO Jason Chang, MD, in June after two female employees filed inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment complaints against him. Dr. Chang resigned from his role as a physician after losing a lawsuit against the hospital regarding the complaints.
The rehab hospital's medical equipment division shut down in April when both complainants went on leave, affecting at least 200 patients, according to Timothy Roe, MD, president and CEO of the hospital. The facility had to stop intake for certain services, so the actual number of affected patients could be even higher, Dr. Roe told Honolulu Civil Beat. Some patients have faced a more than two-month delay in care.
One complainant is still on leave, and the hospital continues to struggle to provide certain services, the CEO told Honolulu Civil Beat. Due to privacy reasons regarding the alleged victims' identities, the hospital has not named the specific hospital division affected, but Dr. Roe confirmed that the division is still closed.
The closure has also affected 79 physicians and other clinics who work with the hospital, according to the CEO.
"You can lose one or two providers and all of a sudden those services are no longer provided in the state," Dr. Roe told Honolulu Civil Beat.