Hundreds Rally For Troubled Hospital

Hundreds of people rallied Sunday in support of a mistakeridden hospital stripped of its accreditation and banned from performing elective surgery.

“Life depends on you,” read one sign at the rally at University Community Hospital.

“This is a hospital that cares. Judge us on 26 years,” hospital spokesman John Andreas said.

More than 600 employees and residents cheered, clapped and chanted, urging the state to remove the surgery ban, which is costing the hospital about $30,000 a day in lost revenue.

The hospital’s problems began Feb. 20 when doctors amputated the wrong leg of a 51-year-old diabetic. Less than two weeks later, a 77-year-old man died after he mistakenly was removed from a ventilator. Later investigations uncovered other mistakes.