RIDOH takes action, halts services at Memorial Hospital

November 30, 2017 5:45 pm

By News Staff

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – The RI Department of Health issued a Consent Order to Care New England Thursday outlining how services at Memorial Hospital will function until decisions are made on the applications that CNE submitted to RIDOH regarding the hospital.

CNE applied to close Memorial Hospital’s emergency department and transfer the hospital’s primary care services to other facilities under the CNE umbrella.

RIDOH Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH says “ensuring safe, quality care is provided to every person who walks through the doors of any healthcare facility in Rhode Island is one of the most important functions of the Rhode Island Department of Health.” She says that the Consent Order is designed to protect and safeguard patients from any injury or harm that could result from operations in the hospital’s current situation.

The Consent Order requires that between December 1, 2017 and the date when RIDOH announces decisions on CNE’s applications:

EMS services will no longer transport patients to Memorial Hospital
No new patients will be admitted at Memorial Hospital, and
No surgeries will be performed.

RIDOH has determined that Memorial Hospital does not currently have adequate staffing to safely administer care to their full potential. The hospital will maintain respiratory therapy, radiology, CT, MRI, laboratory, and pharmacy services with appropriately staffed departments.

Care New England responded to the Consent Order early Thursday evening.

“Today’s order by RIDOH recognizes the importance of maintaining patient safety at Memorial Hospital”, says CNE spokesman Jim Beardsworth. “In the best interest of patient safety, Memorial Hospital and Care New England intend to fully comply with all measures set forth in the order immediately.”

Beardsworth says in the meantime, options are being explored to place employees impacted by the order throughout the CNE system and beyond.

Union leaders with United Nurses and Allied Professionals had harsh words for Care New England and the Health Department, saying the directive "is another example of a regulatory process gone awry in which the tail is wagging the dog."

The union was also critical of the state not holding care new England accountable about maintaining some level of operation at Memorial Hospital.