Health officials OK conditions at Planned Parenthood
Public health officials say Planned Parenthood in Wilmington has corrected unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
Two former nurses at Planned Parenthood clinics in Wilmington and Dover told state lawmakers May 29 the facilities are unclean and put women at risk of blood-born illnesses and bacterial infections.
The nurses – Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich and Joyce Vasikonis – also said Wilmington physician Timothy Liveright was focused on speedy surgeries, rather than patient care.
The Department of Health and Social Services conducted an unannounced inspection of the Wilmington clinic April 15. Officials said the inspection was prompted because an ambulance was dispatched to the clinic.
In an April 24 letter to Planned Parenthood Chief Executive Officer Ruth Lytle-Barnaby, Karyl Rattay, Division of Public Health director, named 14 separate instances showing the environment at the facility was unsafe, including expired supplies, machines in need of maintenance and unlabeled spray bottles.
Lytle-Barnaby sent a response to the office May 22, noting corrective actions that were taken to address each unsafe condition.
Office of Health Facilities Licensing and Certification conducted another unannounced inspection of the clinic June 3. “The survey findings show that your facility has corrected the unsafe and unsanitary practices identified during the April 15, 2013 survey,” Karyl Rattay wrote in a June 4 letter to Lytle-Barnaby.
Deputy Attorney General Katisha Fortune filed a May 30 complaint against Liveright with the Delaware Board of Medical Licensure, seeking to have his medical license permanently revoked. In the complaint, Fortune called Liveright a clear and immediate danger to the public.
DHSS Spokeswoman Jill Fredel said the Division of Public Health has received no patient complaints about the Planned Parenthood clinic in Dover. She said a patient complaint or an adverse event is required to trigger an inspection of the facility.
