By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Operating room, CC by ND via Bing

May 10, 2022 (San Diego) -- The Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades report released today by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog organization,  gave most local hospitals an “A” rating for patient safety during the pandemic, including Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, which serves East County. But East County’s other hospital, Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, received a dismal “C” rating due largely to its below average performance in preventing infections including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics. 

By Briana Gomez

Video: https://youtu.be/c6TDH8NW_DM

May 25, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) -- The capsizing of a boat filled with undocumented immigrants a few weeks ago off San Diego’s coastline raised questions about immigration policies in Southern California. At least three people died and 23 were injured in the incident. Eight of the migrants were taken in for treatment at the Sharp Healthcare system; some were at Sharp Grossmont in La Mesa.

By Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2020 (La Mesa) – A medical helicopter from Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa crash-landed onto the top of the University of Southern California’s Keck Hospital in Los Angeles Friday, but its precious cargo was saved.  A heart being delivered via a Helinet Aviation Services' helicopter has been successfully transplanted into the patient, who is doing well.

“It’s actually an amazing story,” Keck Hospital spokesperson Meg Aldrich told the Los Angeles Times. The pilot and two passengers aboard the helicopter were treated locally for minor injuries. Nobody on the ground or in the hospital was injured and patient care was not disrupted, according to a statement by Keck.

East County News Service 

June 19, 2020 (La Mesa) – Members of the La Mesa Lions Club delivered meals to caregivers at Sharp Grossmont Hospital last month in appreciation for their efforts.  Left to right, photo shows two nurses from an ICU unit on a COVID-19 floor, Lions Club Vice Presidents Joyce James and Mary Rynearson, Beth Morgante, CEO of Grossont Hospital Foundation and La Mesa Lions member David Shaw, Elbert Kim, La Mesa Lions Club President, and Cupid’s Caterers representatives.

 

Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee declares 12-year effort a major success

Source:  PRWeb

October 17, 2019 (La Mesa) - The Grossmont Healthcare District successfully wrapped up 12 years of Proposition G construction improvements at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, financed by over $260 million in funds approved by voters in 2006, according to the Proposition G Independent Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.

 

Source: Sharp Grossmont Hospital 

December 3, 2018 (La Mesa) - The Senior Resource Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit their website at www.sharp.com. 

 

Hospital’s newest facility named in recognition of Ed and Sandy Burr for their $5 million gift, the largest donation in the hospital’s history

Source:  Sharp Grossmont Hospital

July 30, 2018 (La Mesa) - Sharp Grossmont Hospital announced the name of the Burr Heart & Vascular Center at its ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication on July 27th. The state-of-the-art facility is named in recognition of La Mesa residents and EDCO owners Ed and Sandy Burr, who donated $5 million dollars toward the facility, which is the largest gift ever made to the hospital.

 

Source: Sharp Grossmont Hospital

January 3, 2018 (La Mesa) - {C}

      The Senior Resource Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit their website at www.sharp.com.

 

East County News Service

August 11, 2017 (La Mesa) – The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) recently hosted graduation ceremonies for 15 high school students who spent the month of July interning at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa as part of the Grossmont Union High School District’s (GUHSD) Healthcare Exploration Summer Institute (HESI) 2017 program. The ceremonies featured the students presenting about their experiences at the hospital.

 

East County News Service

May 10, 2017 (La Mesa) - The volunteer citizens group monitoring the spending of millions of dollars in public funds for new and improved patient care facilities at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa has a new member. Lindsey Ryan, the hospital’s Manager of Nursing Education and Professional Development, has joined the Independent Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (ICBOC).

 

 

East County News Service

February 14, 2017 (La Mesa) – More than a decade after East County voters approved Proposition G, a $247 million bond measure that provided taxpayer funds for improvements at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, the final construction contract was awarded to San Diego-based Swinerton Builders by Grossmont Healthcare District.

 

Source: Sharp Grossmont Hospital

Photo: Dave Grundstrom, chairman of the Sharp Grossmont Hospital board, and Michael Emerson, vice president of the Grossmont Healthcare District board, join donors Mary Alice Brady and Ron Brady for the official launch of the hospital's central energy plant.

January 4, 2017 (La Mesa) -- Sharp Grossmont Hospital and the Grossmont Healthcare District officially celebrated the completion of the hospital's new central energy plant (CEP) in December.  The facility now supplies the hospital with its own generated energy, taking Sharp Grossmont completely off the electrical grid.

 

Videos were reportedly seen by a male security guard and an attorney

East County News Service

May 30, 2016 (La Mesa) — A class action lawsuit has been filed against Sharp Healthcare alleging that videos taken during surgeries at Sharp Grossmont Surgery violated women’s privacy, including women filmed during childbirth as part of the hospital’s effort to catch a doctor suspected of stealing anesthesia drugs,  Courthouse News reports.

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Pixabay stock image

May 7, 2016 (La Mesa) – When drugs began disappearing off anesthesia carts in the Women’s Health Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, the hospital installed hidden video cameras to catch the purported thief, an anesthesiologist, the surveillance revealed.  But the videos, shot over a year from mid-July 2012 to July 2013, also included images of women undergoing surgery. 

A KPBS iNewsSource investigation reported that some experts raised concerns over medical privacy, suggesting the hospital may have violated the law.  The hospital defends its action and contends that no privacy rights were violated. 

 

24 private postpartum birthing suites feature spa-like look and feel

December 8, 2015 (La Mesa)-- Sharp Grossmont Hospital has unveiled a new, fresh lower level of the Women’s Health Center, where moms and newborns are now enjoying 24 completely remodeled, private postpartum delivery suites. The upgrades are the first phase of an overall renovation of the center, which is expected to be completed in 2017 to accommodate the families of the approximately 4,000 babies born at the hospital each year.