State closes lab at Gouverneur hospital

GOUVERNEUR — E.J. Noble Hospital in Gouverneur remains partially closed to patients after the New York State Department of Health shuttered its laboratory Friday.

Ongoing problems with the 37-bed hospital’s laboratory services prompted closure. The hospital is closed to emergency department patients and is not accepting non-acute admissions. The laboratory services posed “imminent risks to patient health and safety,” the Department of Health said in a news release.

An early September blood transfusion error sparked the shutdown. A patient received the incorrect type of blood, according to the Department of Health. A department spokesman declined to comment on the status of that patient.

The department also cited laboratory issues including insufficient quality control measures, a lack of staff supervision, a lack of critical supplies, and a lack of personnel necessary for testing.

The Department of Health has yet to establish a timeline for putting a plan of correction in place. It has not levied any fines at this point.

E.J. Noble’s 40-bed Kinney Nursing Home was not closed by the Department of Health. It is using alternative laboratory facilities.

The hospital had seven acute-care patients and 11 non-acute patients when the Department of Health issued its order on Friday. All 18 patients have been transferred to other hospitals and E.J. Noble advised emergency services providers and members of the public to send patients to other hospitals, according to the Health Department.

Hospital administrators did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The nonprofit E.J. Noble Hospital and Kinney Nursing Home employ about 190 full-time workers and 50 part-time workers, according to their website. The hospital is located at 77 W. Barney St.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com