February 10, 2026
Dear SPH Providers and Staff,
I am writing to you today about a matter that has deeply troubled all of us at St. Peter's Health. As a team, we have dedicated our careers to protecting those in our care and when we learned in 2024 that this did not happen it was deeply painful. The disbelief and pain led to anger and action. The purpose of my letter is to share with you all we have learned and what we have done, so all patients and families are well protected in our care.
As you may know based upon recent media reports and from what we discussed on the Employee Forum today, two patients were violated by two different nurses while at St. Peter’s. As soon as we learned about the allegations, we took immediate action. Those nurses were placed on administrative leave while we conducted an internal investigation. Based upon those findings both nurses were terminated.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) conducted an unannounced survey of this matter in 2024. Even though we acted appropriately by immediately investigating the concerns that were raised and took decisive action, CMS found that we did not always immediately document those concerns on the correct event reporting platform (Midas). This has been corrected.
During CMS interviews they learned a third patient had also previously raised a concern, but there was no documentation in the reporting system of this concern. This was new information and created an opportunity for us to change our policy about reporting patient safety concerns and patient cooperation.
Here is the background on why there was no documentation in the reporting system for the third incident: A patient told her nurse that she thought she may have been inappropriately touched by a staff member. When we first learned of the initial concern, we immediately began an investigation. However, the patient then rescinded her initial statement, believing she must have been mistaken, and asked us to stop the internal review. Under our practice at that time, investigations of this type would not proceed without patient consent. Today, they do.
Here are some of the changes we have made:
- We have changed our reporting policy. All allegations will now be fully investigated, even if a patient is unable or unwilling to participate. We understand that medication, trauma, and other factors can affect a patient's ability to engage with an investigation, and we will not close cases based on these circumstances alone.
- Within weeks of the survey, we strengthened our safety reporting program by re-educating all staff members on patient safety issues and reinforced our policies for investigating and reporting abuse concerns. Every concern, every step of every investigation, must be documented from the beginning.
- We have established stronger oversight and accountability at every level of leadership to ensure these protocols are followed without exception.
I know that actions speak louder than words. My commitment to you is this: Patient safety is not just a priority; it is our fundamental obligation. We will continue to earn our community’s trust through our conduct, promptly correcting issues that surface, and maintaining our unwavering dedication to the safety and dignity of every person who comes through our doors.
Thank you for all you do and for the great care you provide our patients and community every day!
Wade Johnson
Chief Executive Officer