New York hospitals are some of the most unsafe in the nation, according to a study conducted by the product testing organization Consumer Reports.
The organization studied 2,600 hospitals across the U.S., ranking them in categories including mortality rates, hospital infections and unnecessary readmissions, according to the study, PIX 11 reported. The results showed that several of the lowest ranking hospitals were in New York.
Among the unsafe New York hospitals were Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, Kings County Hospital, Glen Clove Hospital, Flushing Hospital and Brookdale Hospital, according to PIX 11.
Facilities were rated on a scale of one to 100. The average score was 51, while 43 hospitals received a score lower than 30. The lowest hospital score was 11. Furthermore, hospitals in urban areas were generally less safe than suburban hospitals.
Maryann Roesler told the station she contracted a deadly staph infection at what used to be St. Vincent's Hospital in the Village in Manhattan.
"I could have been dead," said Roesler, who was admitted to receive surgery on her spine. The staph infection ended up being resistant to most antibiotics. "If I stayed home by myself, I would've died."
Another woman said her son died at a hospital in Manhattan after his blood became infected. The mother, Lorraine Schiano, said her 21-year-old son was placed on antibiotics and transferred to the ICU. He died that same day.
Schiano told the station she wonders if the hospital could have prevented Nicholas' death if it was cleaner.
"His toothbrush was out on the counter and could get a germ on that, maybe a visitor had a cold?" the mother said.
Every year, nearly 444,000 patients die from hospital infections. Health officials say infections can be prevented by washing hands and installing more efficient methods of communication. Patients are also encouraged to research hospitals in case they are admitted.
But even with preventive measures in place, hospitals are not foolproof.
"Even if you're at the best hospital in the world, mistakes can happen," said Doris Peter, who led the report, the station reported.
