Dignity Health facing lawsuits over alleged failure to notify families of patient deaths

A large hospital system in California is being sued for allegedly losing patients’ bodies and failing to notify families about their deaths. In one case, organs may have been harvested against the wishes of the deceased. 

Reporters at SF Gate were the first to uncover the story, citing a case in which a woman reported missing for seven months was found in a morgue linked to Dignity Health, which operates hospitals in Northern California.

In that case, the family claims that skin and eye tissue were missing from the body, despite the woman not being an organ donor. In a civil complaint, the hospital is accused of gross negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Her body was allegedly discovered only after an audit by the California Department of Public Health. The hospital reportedly told regulators they assumed the deceased had no family.

In another incident cited in the report, a man allegedly had a wallet on his body that contained identification. However, his family says they were never notified of his death.

An investigation uncovered dozens of bodies at an offsite morgue, according to the lawsuit. The owner of the morgue is also named in the suit and is accused of similar gross negligence.

The lawsuits contend that the health department warned the hospital it could be in violation of the law and demanded a review of its policies for identifying bodies and notifying appropriate families.

However, the audit was conducted in 2022 and 2023, and the lawsuits claim that no changes have been made. Whether the Department of Public Health has taken further action remains unknown.

In a statement, the hospital declined to comment on the cases or the pending litigation.

For more, read the full story from SF Gate at the link below.