EVERETT — Cheyenna Costello felt stomach pain so severe at her Arlington home last November that her husband dialed 911.
A Fire District 21 aid crew arrived to find her on a couch, breathing heavily, with pain radiating to her back. The ambulance rushed her “Code Yellow” to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.
For over four hours, Cheyenna Costello waited in the emergency department lobby without treatment, according to an account from her husband, Sean Costello. Medical staff had recorded her condition as critical “with significant risk to decompensate and even death.”
Ultimately, she became unresponsive, then died.
Sean Costello claims Providence Everett acted wrongfully in Cheyenna Costello’s death due to professional negligence, according to a new lawsuit filed Thursday in King County Superior Court.
The death came after months of nurses urging Providence to address low staffing levels and long wait times at the hospital. Heidi DeBauge, an emergency department nurse, told The Herald at the time that most nurses refused “to participate in unsafe staffing, the mental toll, (and) the poor quality of care.”
The hospital’s attorney at Bennett Bigelow & Leedom did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new lawsuit.
Providence also declined to comment this week.
“Due to HIPAA regulations, we are unable to share any detail,” Providence spokesperson Erika Hermanson said in an email Thursday. “Providence Swedish is committed to maintaining a safe environment for all patients and caregivers and providing high-quality care that respects the dignity of every patient.”
Cheyenna Costello, 41, arrived at Providence at 7:19 p.m. Nov. 2, 2022, according to the lawsuit. She waited 4½ hours in the lobby, sitting in a wheelchair because there were no open seats or beds, court documents say. Cheyenna Costello’s family alleges she didn’t get treatment until she started having seizures.
The Snohomish County medical examiner’s report showed Cheyenna Costello had acute and chronic pancreatitis. A comprehensive test that would have detected the condition was ordered upon the patient’s arrival, but it wasn’t completed until after her death, documents say.
“Had the metabolic tests been timely performed, staff would have had enough time to diagnose her pancreatitis and correct the potassium imbalance,” according to documents.
The Costello family’s legal representation, Marlena Grundy of PNW Strategic Legal Solutions, said she is looking into staffing issues at Providence.
“What we know is that a woman died of an easily treatable condition,” she said.
The hospital ordered an internal review shortly after the incident, which has not been made public.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident and our deepest sympathies are with the patient’s family and loved ones,” Kristy Carrington, CEO of Providence Swedish North Puget Sound, wrote in a statement at the time.
Days after Cheyenna Costello died, Snohomish County Council and Everett City Council members wrote an open letter to Providence expressing disappointment in their handling of low staffing levels. On Nov. 18, Providence sent a letter outlining plans to improve conditions at the hospital, including better communication with staff and redistributing work loads.
According to the lawsuit, Providence’s failure to provide proper training, resources and policy enforcement for its medical staff “resulted in Ms. Costello’s injury, death, and damages.”
Court papers described Cheyenna Costello as “a vibrant, much-loved” mother of three children. Her mother Tricia Nelson started an online fundraiser for the family that had raised $7,395 as of Friday.
“Sean and the kids would appreciate any assistance you can offer to keep the heat on, the food on the table, mortgage and car payments current,” the page reads. “Please consider giving any amount will help.”
Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @_sydneyajackson.
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