These are the most unsafe hospitals in CA, report says. Is yours on the list?
Whether it’s a surgery, a routine checkup or an unexpected trip to the emergency room, patients in California trust that their medical providers will meet a safe, professional standard of care.
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization that studies patient safety and care, issues Hospital Safety Grade reports twice a year for nearly 3,000 general hospitals in the United States.
Grades are based on several critical factors, including rates of preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.
“These largely preventable problems harm one in four hospital inpatients and cause as many as 250,000 deaths each year,” The Leapfrog Group said in its latest report.
The group’s latest report, released Nov. 13 and searchable as an online database, grades health care facilities across the nation on a scale of A to F — with A being the highest grade and F the lowest.
Out of the 286 California hospitals ranked by Leapfrog, only one received an “F” grade for fall 2025.
According to The Leapfrog Group, here’s where to find the most unsafe hospitals in California:
Which California hospital get an “F” for medical care?
Only one California medical care facility — Norwalk Community Hospital, 13222 Bloomfield Ave. in Norwalk — received a failing grade in the latest Leapfrog Group report.
The hospital earned low marks for performing “worse than average” in preventing the spread of drug-resistant staph infections and reducing patients’ risk of urinary tract infections.
It also scored poorly for communication about medications and discharge instructions, and for not fully using computer systems for doctors’ medication orders.
The Leapfrog Group also cited issues including inconsistent hand-washing policies, a lack of specially trained doctors to care for intensive care unit patients and poor communication among doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
In addition, the organization said, Norwalk Community Hospital “declined to report” information on several key safety areas, including leadership to prevent medical errors; nursing and bedside care; and whether staff work together to avoid mistakes.
What are the most unsafe hospitals in California?
Out of the 286 California hospitals ranked by Leapfrog, 13 facilities earned a “D” grade, including Doctors Medical Center of Modesto, 1441 Florida Ave. in Modesto, and Emanuel Medical Center, 825 Delbon Ave. in Turlock.
Those hospitals received poor grades due to “worse than average” performances related to poor communication among doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
“We are unwavering in our commitment to improving patient safety and delivering the highest quality care; however, these false ratings undermine the vital trust between doctors, hospitals, and patients that is essential to achieving positive health outcomes,” the hospitals wrote in a statement to The Sacramento Bee.
The Leapfrog Group reported both hospitals had “better than average” performances when it came to preventing issue, such as leaving dangerous objects patient’s bodies after surgery.
“We stand with our sister hospitals, which earlier this year filed a complaint in Florida challenging The Leapfrog Group’s dangerous and misleading rankings under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act,” the hospital’s statement said.
Dameron Hospital, 525 West Acacia St. in Stockton, got a “D” grade in The Leapfrog Group’s latest report for its poor communication about medicines and discharges, as well as failure to prevent blood infections.
The medical care facility scored well in terms of preventing urinary tract infections, reducing bed sores and limiting harmful events such as blood clots following a surgery, medical procedure or childbirth.
The other 10 hospitals that received “D” grades from The Leapfrog Group were:
- El Centro Regional Medical Center in El Centro
- Los Angeles Community Hospital in Los Angeles
- Mission Community Hospital in Panorama City
- Oroville Hospital in Oroville
- San Mateo Medical Center in San Mateo
- Santa Paula Hospital in Santa Paula
- Southern California Hospital at Culver City in Culver City
- Southern California Hospital at Hollywood in Los Angeles
- St. Rose Hospital in Hayward
- Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville
How did The Leapfrog Group come up with ratings?
The Leapfrog Group assigns hospitals a grade from A to F based on their “overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors.”
These grades are calculated using up to 30 national performance measures sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, The Leapfrog Hospital Survey and other data.
Under the guidance of a panel of patient safety experts, The Leapfrog Group selected about two dozen evidence-based measures, grouped into five key categories, to create its scoring methodology.
Those categories are:
- Infections
- Problems with surgery
- Safety problems
- Practices to prevent errors
- Doctors, nurses and hospital staff
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "These are the most unsafe hospitals in CA, report says. Is yours on the list?."
