When we’re sick or injured, the experience goes beyond the physical pain and suffering.

At those times, we’re also at our most vulnerable. At our weakest. Our shakiest. Our most frightened. Our most in doubt.

The people who love us and care for us and worry about us share the same vulnerabilities and fears and doubts.

When we reach the point where we need the services that can only be provided in a hospital, what helps get us through the experience is knowing that we’re being cared for by the most qualified people in the safest possible environment.

That’s why a new hospital safety report issued last week should be raising major alarms among the medical community and state government, after it ranked New York state hospitals 30th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia on their ability to protect patients.

The Leapfrog Group report ranks nearly 3,000 hospitals around the country........

© The Leader Herald