City Pulse disappears from Sparrow

THURSDAY, June 6 — All the copies of this week’s City Pulse, which featured an article about Sparrow Hospital's accreditation problems, went missing from Sparrow Health System facilities after they were delivered yesterday. 

Sparrow spokesman John Foren declined to comment today. 

A low-level employee at Sparrow hospital said yesterday that the papers were removed from the hospital because of a “negative” story. 

Besides the hospital and the professional building, all the papers also disappeared at the Michigan Athletic Club, another Sparrow property. 

This week’s edition featured a story that reported that Sparrow Hospital received a “preliminary denial” of accreditation from The Joint Commission, a national organization, over dozens of alleged violations. (Click here to see the story.) 

Foren was quoted in yesterday’s story as saying “all concerns have been corrected and cleared.” However, The Joint Commission’s website did not reflect any change in status. 

Chief of Medical Staff Candace Metcalf — in an email obtained last week by City Pulse from a source who asked not to be identified — said “more than 90 concerns” ranged from “relatively minor” to “directly related to patient safety.” 

The accreditation allows Sparrow to “participate in” Medicare and Medicaid, according to Metcalf. Issues cited in the commission’s report included staff competence, adequate care, treatment and services among others.