Rusty equipment found at Prospect-owned Waterbury Hospital

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Operating rooms at Waterbury Hospital were found to have multiple pieces of equipment with heavy rust, according to an unannounced state inspection of the facility last year.

Waterbury Hospital, which is owned by the private-equity group Prospect Medical Holdings, was also cited by inspectors from the state Department of Public Health for failing “to ensure that equipment within the operating rooms were able to be properly sanitized” following an inspection of the surgical units last January.

In an operating room, rust can raise the risk of infection.

The documents, which Connecticut Public obtained through a public records request, also identified multiple table pads with cracks that prevented the pads from being properly sanitized between patients.

Following the state inspection, rusty IV poles were removed by the operating room director and the director of surgical services educated staff to tag and remove all equipment showing rust, according to the state inspection reports.

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Waterbury Hospital said in a statement that corrective actions were immediately put in place, and the hospital is currently in full compliance with all requirements.

Currently, Waterbury Hospital, along with Manchester Memorial and Rockville General Hospital are stuck in a messy $435 million sale to Yale New Haven Health. Yale sued Prospect to back out of the deal alleging mismanagement, and Prospect counter-sued earlier this year.

This story was first published Oct. 22, 2024 by Connecticut Public.

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