VISALIA, CA — The California Department of Public Health has fined Kaweah Health Medical Center $265,125 for safety violations. State regulators say these errors put patients in "immediate jeopardy."
The penalties follow investigations into four separate incidents, including a patient death and medical tools left inside patients. According to state records, these latest fines bring the hospital's total "immediate jeopardy" citations to 10 since 2020. Health officials use this label for violations that pose a threat of immediate danger or serious injury.
Patient Death and Transport Failures
One investigation involved the death of a 59-year-old male patient on December 25, 2023. The hospital failed to send a nurse or use required heart monitoring while moving the patient between units.
Because the patient was moved without a monitor, medical staff did not realize the patient’s heart had developed a dangerous rhythm. This led to a delayed medical response. According to state records, the hospital was fined $60,375 for this violation on January 17, 2025.
Medical Equipment Errors
Two of the fines involved metal wires left inside patients. These wires, known as stylets, are used to help guide feeding tubes into place.
In October 2024, a 60-year-old patient with developmental delays had a wire left in his feeding tube for 11 days. This error placed the patient at risk of a punctured organ and internal infections. The hospital was fined $75,469 for this incident.
In a similar case in March 2025, a 77-year-old man suffered breathing problems after a guide wire was left in his feeding tube for eight hours. In that instance, a supervising nurse reportedly failed to check that the wire had been removed. This resulted in a $60,375 fine issued on June 3, 2025.
Errors by Medical Trainees
The state issued a fourth fine of $68,906 for an incident on October 14, 2024. A medical trainee mistakenly inserted a standard IV line into a 79-year-old patient instead of the specialized emergency tube required for critical care.
The mistake happened because the equipment kits for the two different procedures looked similar. The error delayed emergency treatment and forced the patient to have a second procedure to correctly place the tube.
Legal Claims and Hospital Response
Beyond the state fines, the hospital faces a legal claim over the October 1, 2023, death of a 60-year-old man. The claim accuses the emergency department of failing to provide proper care. Paramedics and a former employee stated that staff showed a lack of urgency despite being told the patient was in critical condition. The patient died shortly after arrival.
In a public statement, Kaweah Health leaders said that patient safety is the hospital's top priority. The hospital said it is changing its safety rules and procedures to fix the problems found by the state.
