Watchdog visits Morton Hospital in Taunton to see if bankruptcy's putting patients at risk

A court-appointed watchdog found no cause for concern about patient care and safety at Morton Hospital in Taunton.

When Steward Health Care declared bankruptcy and put their hospitals up for sale , the judge chose Suzanne Koenig as "patient care ombudsman." Her job is to inspect the facilities and flag dangers to patients. The Boston-born, Dallas-based for-profit company operates multiple hospitals in Massachusetts and nationwide, including Good Sam in Brockton, Morton Hospital in Taunton, and St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River.

Koenig issued her report on Tuesday. Accompanied by a nurse, she visited 15 hospitals in Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. She told the judge she didn't see any "material issues impacting patient care requiring this Court’s immediate attention."

What the inspector found at Morton Hospital

Koenig visited Morton Hospital on June 11 and plans an unannounced return visit.

"The Hospital has an engaged leadership team that works together to provide the best experience possible for the patients," she concluded.

Nurses told the court-appointed ombudsman that "they love the Hospital and are very concerned with all the 'negative publicity.'"

Koenig found several instances where Morton had more bed capacity than they could properly staff. For instance, the medical-surgical overflow unit has a temporary license for up to 14 patients.

During her visit, Morton had capped it at 10 patients due to staffing availability. Similarly, the hospital's inpatient substance abuse unit on the fourth floor can accommodate up to 18 patients. There were nine patients in the unit during Koenig's visit, with a cap of 10 because of staffing.

Where there was a problem at Morton Hospital

The kitchen did not get high marks.

"Upon entry into the kitchen, the kitchen appeared cluttered, unorganized, chaotic and as though a deep cleaning was overdue," Koenig wrote.

The watchdog said the chaos, however, was not down to the effects of the bankruptcy. A 45-year veteran had recently died on the job of a heart attack. "The employee was the sole team member in charge of kitchen receivables, who organized and stored the food items in a set process known only to the employee."

What did the inspector find at Good Sam?

Koenig's team visited Good Sam in Brockton twice: on June 5 and July 10. Her report praised Good Sam leadership as "very engaged and responsive." She reported nothing that "would indicate that the patients are in immediate harm or jeopardy."

That doesn't mean she found no problems. Perhaps the most worrisome for patients is that as Brockton Hospital fully reopens, Good Sam would lose the equivalent of 25 full-time registered nurses. Brockton Hospital is closed after a fire gutted its electrical system . Brockton Hospital, which is operated by non-profit Signature Healthcare, has not announced a re-opening date , but expects it to be sometime in 2024. The ombudsman said Steward administrators are working with the state's Department of Public Health and Brockton Hospital to create a transition plan.

AC problem nearly forces 'Code Black' closure of ER

On June 18, after her first visit, Good Sam notified Koenig that one of the two "chillers" that feeds the hospital's HVAC system went down. That day temperatures in Brockton spiked to 92 degrees with 88% humidity . It was the beginning of a mini heat wave.

AC in a hospital is not a creature comfort. The temperature and humidity problem threatened "several critical areas" including the operating rooms, central sterile department and cardiac catheter lab, Koenig noted. The orthopedic room hit 70% humidity, prompting staff to move supplies to the post-anesthesia care unit, where humidity was 62%.

Good Sam told state officials they might need to call a "Code Black," which means the emergency room would not accept patients. In the end, the HVAC was fixed before taking that step, which would have left Brockton with no emergency rooms given Brockton Hospital being closed.

"Throughout this entire incident, the Hospital kept the Ombudsman informed of the status of the situation. From the Ombudsman’s perspective, this situation was handled appropriately by the Hospital," Koenig concluded.

Deep-clean ordered for grimy kitchen

The ombudsman's team criticized Good Sam's kitchen after her June visit, saying there was dirt and grime in the corners and food spatters on the walls. Several pieces of kitchen equipment were also out of order. Hospital President Matthew Hesketh brought in a third party to do a deep steam clean. The hospital shared photos of the kitchen after the cleanup.

When Koenig returned in July, she reported finding the kitchen "a neat, clean and well-organized space."

Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on X at @HelmsNews .

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Watchdog visits Morton Hospital in Taunton to see if bankruptcy's putting patients at risk