Double injury

Treatment following

 car crash leads to claim

By David Baker
Posted Feb 12, 2015
169 words

A woman who was treated at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, N.Y. after an automobile crash has filed a lawsuit against the hospital and an emergency room physician in which she claims she suffered serious injuries – including the amputation of “several digits” – as a result of the defendants’ malpractice.

Named in the suit, filed by Michelle Butler of Troy, are Alexander Grinshpun, M.D. and Samaritan Hospital. Grinshpun appears on Google search results as an employee of Emergency Medicine Physicians, which lists the same Troy address as the hospital.

According to the suit, Grinshpun was Butler’s treating physician following the car crash on July 26, 2013. As a result of the alleged malpractice, Butler “…was hospitalized, underwent surgery and amputation of several digits; suffered and still sufferers great physical and mental pain and anguish sustained severe injures; was obliged to and did expend large sums of money for medical aid and suffered lost wages.”

The suit was filed in October 2014 by the law firm Frost & Kavanaugh of Troy.

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Permanent injuries alleged

 Hospital named in

 missed diagnosis claim

By David Baker
Posted Feb. 12, 2015
179 words

A woman who allegedly was permanently injured when a case of appendicitis was not immediately diagnosed at Samaritan Hospital in Troy N.Y. has filed a lawsuit against the hospital.

According to a brief notice, Nicole Matala, of Cambridge, Washington County  went to the emergency room at Samaritan on May 11, 2013. But the condition was not diagnosed until the next day.

“There was a failure to timely consider, diagnose and timely and appropriately treat and medically and surgically manage the plaintiff/patient’s condition,” the notice says. “As a result of the delays in consideration, diagnosis, treatment and management of the plaintiff/patient’s condition she suffered serious and permanent injuries and consequences, pain, suffering and damages.”

The suit was filed by Troy attorney E. Stewart Jones. As has been noted in pervious posts on the this blog, Jones has for several years filed lawsuits against medical providers with only a summons with notice rather than a more detailed complaint.

In addition to the hospital, the suit also names Northeast Health, Inc. and St. Peter’s Health Partners, Inc. No doctors or other staff are named as defendants.

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Journalists in name only

COMMENT

Reporters appear to be unfazed
by management's lack of integrity

By David Baker
Posted Friday Feb. 6, 2015.
273 words

Brendan Lyons works for the Albany Times Union.  He evidently considers himself a journalist – his Twitter name includes the word ''writer" - but he seems untroubled by his employer’s total lack of journalist integrity.

As is documented on this blog, over the past 15 years the Times Union has routinely ignored dozens of lawsuits filed against the area’s hospitals – while running a continuous stream of advertising for them. 

And its not the paper doesn’t publish details of claims. It does.  Just today there is a story about a lawsuit alleging harassment.  It alleges an employee was subjected to a bizarre sexual hazing ritual.

It names the Capital Transportation Authority and others.  It was written by Lyons.

But there’s another lawsuit making its way through the courts that also alleges harassment.  In it, Patricia Cocozzo alleges numerous violations of New York’s Human Rights Law, including sexual harassment, age discrimination and disability discrimination. Cocozzo also complains of a hostile work environment, constructive dismissal, and retaliation for complaining about the alleged harassment. She claims a co-worker at Samaritan Hospital showed her a video of him having sex with another woman.

Sounds like a strong story, every bit as worthy of coverage in the Times Union as the one against the CDTA. 

But it has never been mentioned. A look at the name of the defendants explains why: They are Northeast Health, and its governing body,  St. Peter’s Health Partners – big TU advertisers and where the paper’s publisher has a seat on the board.

And it’s not that Lyons was unaware of the Cocozzo case; a copy of the complaint was emailed to him back in mid December. He never acknowledged it. Why would he? Like apparently all the reporters at the area’s papers, he evidently has no problem with a management that has totally abandoned its duty to inform the public, and is as every bit corrupt as the people it lectures to about ethics, accountability, honesty and trust.

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Spot the difference

The TU story on the CDTA lawsuit is HERE

The exclusive story on this blog on the Cocozzo lawsuit is HERE

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