Federal regulators have threatened to pull critical funding from one of San Francisco's most important hospitals next month, after multiple violations prompted the state to put the facility in "immediate jeopardy."
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San Francisco's Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center has until April 14 to remedy a number of issues identified by state health officials or the hospital could be forced to shut down.
Laguna Honda is one of the largest skilled nursing facilities in the country, caring for about 700 patients, including the poor and elderly and those with complex medical needs. The 150-year-old hospital is San Francisco's oldest skilled nursing facility.
Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who represents Laguna Honda's district, said she's committed to working with hospital leaders to bring the facility into compliance after it ran afoul of state standards of care.
"We do whatever we can do to assist them. Putting together protocols, having the staffing and the professional training and development that they need to ensure that they are in compliance," Melgar told KCBS Radio.
The violation from state inspectors came after staff at Laguna Honda reported two overdoses at the hospital in July, neither of which were fatal. That began a correction plan with the California Department of Public Health in October.
After an extension, state inspectors returned last week, and witnessed a staff member not following protocol. As a result, the hospital was found to be in a state of "substandard quality of care" and was placed on "immediate jeopardy" status, which according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services "represents a situation in which entity noncompliance has placed the health and safety of recipients in its care at risk for serious injury, serious harm, serious impairment or death.:
Melgar said Laguna Honda is invaluable to the community as it serves "the neediest patients and the most vulnerable. Folks who have disabilities or have no other recourse."
She cited the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of how the hospital was able to successfully respond to new regulations.
"For masking, for gloving, for cleaning, a whole host of things, which they did overnight and they were able to keep infections at Laguna Honda down. That's evidence that they can do it," she explained.
"I am confident that they will be able to rectify it."
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