State to probe Franklin County, NC, hospital

The only hospital in Franklin County, NC, will face an investigation after a state senator complained that hospital nurses are overworked because of staff shortages, resulting in lapses in patient care. Sen. Doug Berger complaints included nurses working eight- and 16-hour shifts with no breaks, breaks not occurring because of inadequate staffing, and staff not receiving lunch breaks. The hospital is already under federal scrutiny after investigators found poor record-keeping by the medical staff as well as problems with how quickly the hospital's labs reported important test results.