By Lisa Kashinsky and Douglas Moser
The Eagle-Tribune
METHUEN, Mass. — The state Department of Public Health on Monday said it was launching an investigation into the medical company that inadvertently locked an elderly woman receiving dialysis treatment in its Methuen clinic when it closed for the day Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the company, Fresenius Medical Care, apologized to the woman and her family Monday afternoon, promising to prevent a similar incident from recurring.
The woman, Maureen Perry, 86, of Wilmington, was not harmed. Methuen firefighters transported her back to her assisted living home Saturday after she was rescued.
Department of Public Health spokesman Scott Zoback said Monday that his department “is conducting a thorough investigation into this situation.”
DPH investigations can cover several elements, including interviews, observations of care, on-site surveys and reviews of documentation, protocols and records.
Jon Stone, a spokesman for Fresenius Medical Care North America, confirmed that DPH was “on site” Monday “conducting a complaint investigation.”
The state Executive Office of Elder Affairs was also made aware of the situation, but spokeswoman Martha Waldron said her department was “not the appropriate agency” for the investigation. Elder Affairs is under the same executive office as DPH, which is charged with regulating licensed medical facilities, she said.
Elder Affairs does have a protective services program with 22 designated agencies throughout the state that respond to reports of elder abuse, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect by a caregiver, self-neglect and financial exploitation.
“We do deal with reports of elder abuse and neglect when they’re in a community or in a person’s home,” Waldron said. “When it’s a medical facility, those are licensed by DPH and the call went to them.”
Perry had been left in her chair at the medical center, Fresenius Kidney Care Methuen, on Merrimack Street, for several hours Saturday after a staff member had closed and locked up the facility for the day.
Her family, worried because they had been alerted that Perry had not returned to her rehabilitation facility from her regular dialysis treatment, drove to the clinic. There, they saw her through the glass door in the chair. They called 911 at 5:38 p.m., according to the police log, and the Methuen Fire Department responded.
Firefighters used a special key to gain entry to the building and examined Perry, who, other than being chilly, was not harmed.
“She was in the building for roughly three hours,” said Methuen Deputy Fire Chief Scott Sullivan.
“She did not want to go to the hospital, and the family said she was OK, so we brought her back to the home,” he continued.
Perry uses a private ambulance, Cataldo Ambulance Service, to get to and from her appointments.
Stone said in a statement that the employee closing up overlooked Perry as she sat in a chair receiving dialysis treatment.
“This past Saturday, a staff member at our Methuen dialysis facility closed the clinic following the completion of our second shift treatments,” he said. “He did not see any patients in the treatment room and mistakenly believed that all of our patients had left the facility.”
He said in the statement that the company regrets what happened and has been in contact with Perry’s family.
“Our patients’ care and safety are our top priorities and we have initiated additional processes and safeguards to ensure that an incident such as this does not happen again. We apologize to the patient, her family, and the entire community,” he said.
Erica Crosby, Perry’s granddaughter, said someone needs to be held accountable for the incident.
Fresenius Medical Care is an international medical company, with regional North America headquarters in Waltham, that specializes in dialysis research, treatment and equipment.
The company employs more than 100,000 people in 50 countries, including about 60,000 people in North America, according to its website.
When informed of the incident on Monday, Corinne LaCharite, executive director of Methuen’s Council on Aging, was taken aback.
“I am very surprised that anything like that could have happened at this particular center,” she said. “I’ve had dealings with them and they were 100 percent on key and very professional.”
LaCharite’s mother received dialysis from Fresenius about three years ago at a different location, she said.
“She ended up having the best relationships with those nurses, they just loved seeing her, she loved being there,” LaCharite said. “I can’t say enough about the wonderful treatment they gave her.”
LaCharite said that Perry’s situation “astounds me that that could have happened.”
Copyright 2016 The Eagle-Tribune