After two failed inspections, St. Christopher’s Hospital secures license

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children has secured a new, three-year license after failing two previous license inspections by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The North Philadelphia safety net hospital had been operating under a temporary license for a year, since July 2023. During a weeklong visit in May, health department inspectors determined the hospital had fixed the safety, sanitation and patient privacy issues identified during previous inspections. The hospital was granted a full, three-year license in July.

“St. Chris continues to work closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to ensure that we continue to provide the safest and highest quality care to our patients,” Paul Healy, a spokesperson for the hospital, said in an email.

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St. Christopher’s license problems began a year earlier, in May 2023, when inspectors cited the hospital for a long list of violations, including a requirement that behavioral health patients wear lime green scrubs so they would be more easily recognizable to staff, which inspectors said violated patient privacy rules.

Inspectors also cited the hospital for failing to properly oversee housekeeping staff, which resulted in dirty patient rooms and an unsanitary kitchen.

When inspectors returned in November, the hospital had fixed the problems identified in the May visit, but was cited for a new list of safety and sanitation violations, including expired medications, unsecured oxygen tanks and improperly stored sterile supplies.

By March, inspectors found the hospital had fixed the problems identified in November.

They returned once more in May, to try again for a full license inspection. During the weeklong visit, inspectors found that the hospital was “in substantial compliance” with safety regulations.

But St. Christopher’s still has some cleaning up to: during their May visit, inspectors cited the hospital for dust and rust in an operating room, dead bugs in overhead surgical lights, and splintered edges on a cabinet.