Eleanor Slater Hospital, with campuses in Cranston and Burrillville, R.I., has regained accreditation from The Joint Commission three years after an unannounced review found patient safety and documentation issues. However, staffing issues remain, the Northern Rhode Island News reported.
The state-run behavioral health hospital received a preliminary denial of accreditation in June 2021, after an inspection visit to the Burrillville location's Zambarano unit, in which concerns of patient safety were identified. However, its accreditation was renewed in September 2021.
After conducting an assessment of 18 different areas that included meeting criteria for national patient safety goals among other essentials, The Joint Commission has now fully reaccredited the hospital.
The state will also be investing $35 million over the next few years to update the facilities and also construct a new, 100-bed acute care building to replace an existing one on its Burrillville campus from 1905, the outlet reported.
While the hospital is once again accredited by The Joint Commission, internal issues like staff retention remain.
In August, 86% of nurses from Eleanor Slater took a vote of no confidence in the hospital's leadership.
"They had doctors, and they drove them away because of the environment," David Place, the Rhode Island House of Representatives minority whip, told Northern Rhode Island News. "Until that environment is addressed, they’re going to continue having issues hiring and retaining doctors, or staff in general."
A spokesperson for the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, the division which runs the hospital, confirmed they are in the process of hiring additional physicians.
Eleanor Slater Hospital's next review is set for 2026.
Editor's note: This article was updated at 10:28 a.m. CT.