How Massachusetts failed to regulate Steward Health Care

The telephone name to Steward Well being Care chief government Ralph de la Torre from the state’s high well being official got here days after a veteran nurse at Steward’s Good Samaritan Medical Middle was fired for a devastating lapse — one {that a} federal investigation later deemed a violation of fundamental care.

On Sept. 13, 2023, a triage nurse within the Brockton hospital’s overwhelmed emergency division acquired a plea for assist from a affected person within the registration line. Affected by acute chest ache and shortness of breath, 37-year-old Jennifer Knight believed she was having a coronary heart assault.

However 10 hours into her nonstop shift, with too few nurses to deal with a surge of sufferers, the nurse despatched Knight again to the road, with out evaluating her or checking her important indicators, in keeping with investigators. Knight collapsed simply 20 minutes later and died.