The Vista CEO on Wednesday blasted the coroner and said they are seeking to have her removed from the investigation for being “biased” after a patient, who was found on the Waukegan hospital’s rooftop, died.
A press conference was held around noon on Wednesday in the lobby of Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan.
Vista Health System CEO Kevin Spiegel spoke at the press conference, which was held a week following the death of Chelsea Adolphus, 28, of Waukegan.
Adolphus was admitted to the hospital for care and went missing before being found nearly seven hours later unresponsive on the rooftop of the hospital.
She died later that day after lifesaving measures failed to resuscitate her.
Spiegel, reading from a prepared statement, said that the hospital is “devastated” about Adolphus’ death, which he called a “tragedy.”
The CEO said he is unable to comment on specific information due to HIPAA but said Vista reported the incident to the state and regulatory agencies in a “timely manner.”
Spiegel also blasted Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek, who held her own press conference on Monday to give an update on the investigation.
“It is disappointing and truthfully unprecedented that the Lake County Coroner’s Office would choose to hold a press conference without our knowledge nor be given the opportunity to participate,” Spiegel said.
Spiegel called Banek’s comments at the press conference “biased” and “retaliatory” and said she has “extreme disdain” toward Vista Health System.
“The totality of her actions include using her position as an elected official to influence the public’s opinion and bolster support for personal vendetta has been occurring for approximately one year,” Spiegel said.
The CEO also said the coroner’s comments at her press conference were inaccurate and “not in the best interest of the community.”
Spiegel said Vista Health System has filed a request with the court for an emergency injunction to have Banek removed from the investigation.
He also disputed reports that recent furloughs at the hospital earlier this month impacted the safety of patients.
A reporter asked Spiegel during the press conference about the furloughs, to which he replied that he thought a total of 27 workers were furloughed.
A Vista staff member standing next to Spiegel blurted out that the hospital had actually furloughed 78 employees.
Spiegel said staff followed protocol after Adolphus went missing in the hospital but that the company has initiated corrective measures following her death.
“We’re confident that the way the staff handled the situation was 100% appropriate,” Spiegel said, adding that the police were notified and a code immediately went out over the loudspeaker after she went missing.
The family of Adolphus is filing a lawsuit against Vista. Spiegel said that decision is “good practice” and “is totally appropriate.”
Adolphus was admitted to Vista Medical Center East around 4 a.m. on January 22 seeking medical treatment and help.
Adolphus left her patient room on the fifth floor around 2 a.m. Thursday and was discovered almost seven hours later on the second-floor rooftop of the hospital at approximately 8:45 a.m., Banek said during her press conference on Monday.
“The door we believe she exited, if you exit that door, you are not able to return back inside of the hospital,” Banek said, adding that it is believed that the door she exited did not have alarms.
She was found unresponsive on the rooftop while only wearing her hospital gown. Temperatures were in the low 20s at the time.
Another patient or another patient’s family was the one who spotted Adolphus on the rooftop and notified staff.
Adolphus was brought from the rooftop to the emergency room where staff provided treatment, including warming her body temperature, which was 50 degrees Fahrenheit, Banek said.
The woman was pronounced dead around 11 p.m. Thursday after staff attempted to resuscitate and warm Adolphus for 14 hours.
Banek said the hospital notified the Lake County Coroner’s Office minutes after Adolphus was pronounced dead but the hospital had not contacted the Waukegan Police Department yet.
The coroner’s office notified the police department, which met the coroner’s office at the hospital to start an investigation.
An autopsy was performed on Adolphus on Friday at the coroner’s office and the preliminary findings show she died from hypothermia due to cold exposure. The final cause of death is pending toxicology results.
American Healthcare Systems, the owner of the hospital, and the Vista leadership team have been issued a preservation letter by the coroner’s office ordering all paper, video, digital and electronic evidence to be saved.
In addition to being the coroner, Banek is also a nurse anesthesiologist who previously cared for patients at Vista Medical Center East.
“I have voiced my concerns about the lack of care and safety measures in place at this facility,” Banek said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health revoked Vista’s Level 2 trauma designation for five weeks last year for not having the appropriate blood supply and clinical staff available for patients.
Banek said among the dozens of workers furloughed earlier this month were sitters, who are staff members who sit and watch patients to ensure they are safe when they are the most vulnerable.
“I had warned during a February 2024 press conference that lives were at stake. In high-stakes industries, like healthcare, we rely on evidence-based practices, transparency, and effective oversight as protective measures to make certain people do not die. A death is not the threshold by which we should be measuring the necessity for a call to action,” Banek said.
“American Healthcare Systems must be held accountable to provide safe, quality healthcare to Waukegan and its surrounding communities. It has repeatedly fallen short by failing to meet its financial obligations to vendors, clinical providers, the City of Waukegan for its water bill, in addition, to $1M owed in back taxes,” she added.
Vista recently applied to the State of Illinois for a safety net designation.
Safety net hospitals receive additional subsidies when they meet certain thresholds of Medicaid or charity care.
“While safety net hospital designation from the State of Illinois could help with healthcare costs and improve access to the community, unless there is transparency, money should not be given to private equity entities at the taxpayers’ expense, especially to a company with such a poor track record. Hospitals are a public trust and the public needs to trust in the hospital that serves this community,” Banek said.
The coroner expressed her condolences to the Adolphus family and said that accidental loss of life because of lack of appropriate basic safety measures “cannot happen again.”
“More delays and excuses puts Vista patients at risk. It is past time for all stakeholders to step up and find solutions that ensure safe, quality healthcare at Vista Medical Center,” Banek said.
Banek spoke for approximately 20 minutes during her press conference at the Lake County Courthouse and Administration Building in Waukegan on Monday afternoon, which the Waukegan Police Department was not present for.
The woman’s brother, Paul Adolphus, also spoke during the Monday press conference and said the family is seeking answers.
He said his family is going through a “horrible time” and are shocked by what happened.
“We want to know exactly what happened from when my sister stepped foot in that facility. The Adolphus family will be seeking justice for Chelsea Adolphus,” Paul Adolphus said.
Former Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham told Lake and McHenry County Scanner after the press conference that he is devastated by what occurred and that answers are needed to help restore the community’s faith in Vista.