Family members of Bronx resident Teresa Gonzalez, 88, have filed complaints against Jacobi Medical Center and Montefiore Health System after their mother nearly developed a deadly bacterial infection after she was treated this spring.
Gonzalez’s adult children, Gigi Cinnante and Esteban Gonzalez, told the Bronx Times they filed their complaints alleging “patient neglect, unsafe conditions and failure to meet basic standards of care.”
Gonzalez, who is paralyzed from a stroke years ago, sought treatment multiple times at Jacobi and Montefiore to determine the cause and nature of the problem and to treat it. But was neglected at both hospitals, including being left in unsanitary conditions, according to her family.
Both hospitals declined Bronx Times’ request for comment on the record, citing HIPAA concerns. But the Gonzalez family shared their complaints, which were copied to the State Department of Health and other oversight entities.
Esteban said he visited Gonzalez at Jacobi on May 17 and 18 and found her “soiled in feces and urine, without appropriate incontinence care, with waste pooling around her catheter and saturating her bedding, clothing and wound dressings.”
Even though his mother is fully dependent on others and cannot move on her own, “There were no adequate measures in place to ensure she could alert staff or be routinely monitored,” Esteban wrote. “This represents a clear failure to provide reasonable care and protection to a highly vulnerable patient.”
He added that the hospital appeared to be short-staffed, especially on weekends. “The failure to provide routine checks and timely assistance constitutes a serious risk to patient health, particularly given my mother’s existing infections and open wounds.”
“The conditions I witnessed reflect a serious breakdown in patient care, dignity, and safety. No patient, especially one who is paralyzed and unable to advocate for herself—should ever be left in such circumstances,” Esteban said.
Emergency care in trouble
Past reporting by the Bronx Times has highlighted challenges in delivering high-quality emergency care in the Bronx.
Interviews from the recent NYSNA nurses’ strike and parts of the yearlong series, Our Forgotten Borough, revealed that many Bronx hospital professionals feel overwhelmed and under supported in caring for the borough’s most vulnerable patients.
Teresa Gonzalez already had health challenges, but Esteban believes her real troubles began when she started using an over-the-counter product called MediHoney, after past nurses recommended it to alleviate skin abrasions, although Montefiore disputes this claim.
Esteban was unaware that MediHoney had been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration the month before.
The manufacturer, Integra LifeSciences, “identified packaging failures related to the MediHoney Wound and Burn products that could lead to a breach in the sterile barrier. Use of product with a breached sterile barrier could lead to patient infection,” according to the FDA.
Though it remains unclear whether the product Teresa used was actually contaminated, Integra LifeSciences reported 11 serious injuries related to MediHoney Wound and Burn products as of December 19, 2025, according to the FDA website.
Esteban said he never would’ve bought the product if he’d known about the recall.
“It’s upsetting, because it was preventable,” he said.
According to Esteban, the family sought treatment for Teresa just blocks from home at Montefiore, but the problem was not easily determined. His mother had developed new wounds on her legs and feet, but the hospital discharged her, Esteban said.
At the end of February, he was notified of the FDA recall and informed Montefiore, but he said the hospital did not take thorough action to determine the problem and test for various bacteria.
When Teresa was hospitalized again in April, doctors determined that she still had an infection but discharged her, according to the family. In May, Teresa began having seizures and respiratory problems, and at one point, she stopped breathing. A 911 dispatcher instructed Esteban on CPR to save his mother’s life.
“I swear to God, I didn’t know what to do. I was just panicked and losing my mind,” he said. “Her life was in my hands.”
Teresa was revived and transported again to Montefiore, but the hospital declined to treat her — which Esteban believed was in retaliation for the family’s complaints.
A Montefiore customer service specialist later told the family that the hospital had followed normal procedure in cases of overcrowding and that EMS, not the hospital, initiated the move. Nonetheless, the ambulance brought Teresa to Jacobi, even though it was further away.
At both Jacobi and Montefiore, Esteban said his mother was left unattended and unclean. He shared with the Bronx Times graphic photos of Teresa’s legs and bedding covered in waste, with her legs wrapped in bandages.
“They basically abandoned my mother and left me alone here to deal with some severe wounds on her legs,” he said. “Very easily, she could have died because of the mismanagement of this whole situation.”
In a May 22 letter responding to the Gonzalez family’s complaints, a Montefiore customer service specialist apologized for a “communication breakdown” in February, as well as a “missed opportunity to provide more education and support regarding the MediHoney recall and discussions regarding goals of care and advanced directives,” including end-of-life plans.
The specialist said the hospital had reviewed Teresa’s case and determined that MediHoney did not cause Teresa’s severe urinary tract infection. But Esteban and his family believe otherwise and still blame the institution for failing to properly test and diagnose her.
‘Dysfunction’ in the hospitals
Teresa’s ordeal in two Bronx hospitals left his family worried for the state of hospital care in the borough.
Esteban said Jacobi’s ninth floor “reeked of urine and feces” and that he saw many nurses scrolling on their phones.
“They let her sit there with the bed saturated with urine and feces, and the bandages getting soaked with that mixture of bacteria. It’s just bad,” he said. “I’m not looking for perfection … but this is someone who needs help, is already struggling.”
Since Teresa was discharged from Jacobi on May 21, Esteban has resumed 24/7 in-home care of his mother. He said she has now recovered and is constantly surrounded by family, which provides some peace of mind.
“That’s part of our culture. We don’t put family in facilities,” he said.
Esteban said that while there are some great professionals at Jacobi and Montefiore, the overall hospital care system seems to be in “dysfunction.”
He said he wants the public to know about what his mother went through when her life was on the line. The family is currently exploring the possibility of legal action against both hospitals.
“It’s a dangerous situation,” Esteban said. Though his mother suffered, “It’s not too late to help somebody else.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
