Santa Barbara Independent, 08-29-2013

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Hospital Sued over FleshEating Bacteria Death

iting, and dehydration. Alexander returned to the Cottage ER the next morning at 7 a.m. with “severe and worsening symptoms,” the court filing reads. Hours later, she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and diagnosed with severe sepsis with a “presumed diagnosis of pneumonia.” She was ultimately diagnosed with NF and underwent several treatments, but the disease had spread too far.

The family claims that negligence on the part of her health-care providers allowed Alexander’s NF to advance to later stages, which substantially reduced her chance of survival. “The bottom line is what is the liability,” said attorney Troy Alexander Brenes, who is representing the family, “and has the hospital since then done anything to update their plan?”

The answer to that question remains unknown, as representatives at Cottage Hospital would not comment specifically on the case.

In an email, they stated that only four out of the 68 patients treated with NF between 2010 and 2013 at Cottage Health System died from it.

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, represented by Reback, McAndrews, Kjar, Warford, Stockalper & Moore, denied all the plaintiffs’ allegations and any wrongdoing in legal filings. Both sides will reconvene in court in September.

COU RTESY

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BY K E L S E Y B R U G G E R udge Donna Geck has allowed attorneys for the family of 43-year-old Carmen Alexander (pictured), who died last year of a flesh-eating bacteria infection, 14 days to amend their complaint against Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Alexander’s family is suing the hospital and two doctors for wrongful death and medical negligence.

The popular teacher at Open Alternative School died in February 2012, two days after she was first admitted to Cottage. In their legal filing, her family claims two physicians — Sylvia Kim and John Patrick Wheelock — failed to timely diagnose and treat Alexander, which allowed a serious bacterial infection, known as necrotizing fasciitis (NF), to quickly spread and destroy tissue throughout her body. Doctors could have easily performed simple tests on Alexander to rule out NF, according to attorneys at Newportbased Lopez McHugh LLP. The law firm and the plaintiffs — Alexander’s three children through their legal guardian, Vadim Hsu — say the doctors should not have discharged Alexander the same day she was admitted to Cottage Hospital, because she demonstrated “classic signs of NF,” such as localized chest pain, swelling of the chest, vom-

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Food Stamps on Chopping Block

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BY K E L S E Y B R U G G E R eginning November 1, “food stamp” benefits will decrease country-wide when part of the federal government’s 2009 stimulus package reaches its scheduled end. These across-the-board cuts for what’s known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) will slash food assistance for nearly 47 million Americans. Even bigger reductions may occur after the House reconvenes this September. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicates that House Republicans plan to move a bill that doubles proposed SNAP cuts and tightens requirements.

In a statement, Congressmember Lois Capps said,“Already Congress has shown that a bipartisan measure is needed to reauthorize the program. However, House leadership seems interested in pushing even more extreme cuts to the program this fall — cuts that would reduce benefits for up to 300,000 California households and kick nearly 280,000 Californians out of the program altogether.”

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Food stamp utilization by Californians has gone up significantly since the recession hit several years ago, but only about half of the eligible people in the state receive benefits from the entitlement program. The same is true for Santa Barbara County. There are currently 30,000 individuals on food stamps, but 60,000 people qualify. Santa Barbara ranks 51 out of the state’s 58 counties for utilization relative to number of low-income individuals, according to a 2013 report by California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA).

Despite the low ranking, participation at the county level has also increased 10-15 percent annually since 2009. Today, there are twice the food stamp participants in Santa Barbara than there were in 2008. CFPA estimates that if CalFresh — California’s SNAP program — were to reach all eligible individuals in the county, area residents would receive $52.2 million in additional benefits, generating $93.4 million in additional economic activity. “I will continue to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate to keep SNAP strong,” Capps said.

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I’m not sure if she had any good intentions, or if she was just a good con artist.

— DA investigator Norma Hansen, describing Penny Estes, accused of defrauding fire victims trying to rebuild their homes.

augusT 29, 2013

THE INDEPENDENT

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