We're Making News — The Patient Safety League

We’re Making News

These are stories that either include our members or we brought the news tip to the news agency. To see the whole story, click on the links below.


02/05/2023—“Scripps Mercy’s new chief of staff had 2007 probation for negligent prescribing” UT San Diego—(by Paul Sisson with Marian Hollingsworth)

Scripps Health announced last month that physicians at Scripps Mercy Hospital named Dr. James Grisolia their chief of staff. It’s a trusted position that runs a hospital’s medical staff executive committee, an elected body of physicians responsible for ensuring quality and reviewing the work of fellow doctors to make sure standards of care are being met.

When she saw the promotional piece, Marian Hollingsworth, a San Diego patient advocate, remembered the name from 2007. That was when the state medical board put him on probation for what the board said in a decision was “gross negligence” in prescribing of painkillers and sedatives to six San Diego patients, including his wife Linda, who died in 2003.

Records indicate that Grisolia, 68, prescribed a range of medications to his wife and that an autopsy “determined the cause of death to be accidental intoxication from morphine, Vicodin, Celexa, Benadryl and Restoril.”


12/30/2022—NBC7 San Diego—(by Alexis Rivas with Marian Hollingsworth) Alexis explains why probation rules will allow a San Diego pediatric dentist to keep practicing after he was accused of performing unnecessary procedures on patients.

12/02/2022—ABC7: Medical Board of California Member Speaks Out Pt 2—(by Carolyn Johnson with Eric Andrist & Marian Hollingsworth) The Medical Board of California says its mission is to protect health care consumers with proper licensing and regulation of doctors, but patient advocates have long argued that is not what happens in this state. They say the board is shrouded in secrecy.

11/20/2019—KSBY Investigation: Your Doctor’s Past (by Carina Corral with Eric Andrist) Carina Corral investigates the difficulties in finding information on the Medical Board of California’s website, and how costly it can be.

08/12/2019—”Doctor Misconduct” —NBC News-LA (by Carolyn Johnson with Eric Andrist) Carolyn Johnson talks about how the numbers of sexual assault complaints against doctors has gone up in the #metoo movement, and how the Medical Board of California isn’t doing much about it.


08/12/2019—”Sexual misconduct allegations against California doctors rise sharply since #MeToo era began” —LA Times (by Soumya Karlamangla with Marian Hollingsworth)


07/22/2019—”A Deadly Farce” The Medical Board of California”—CityWatch (by Eric Andrist and Marian Hollingsworth). [Note that CityWatch LA removed this article from their website after Dr. Kenneth Hughes’ lawyers threatened a lawsuit.]

A longer version with more photos and links to evidence is posted on our website HERE.


5/15/2019—”Low-rated US hospitals are deadlier due to mistakes, botched surgery, infections“—featuring Marian Hollingsworth.


02/22/2019—”San Diego doctor denies sexually assaulting unconscious patients”—ABC 10News-San Diego (Investigation by Marian Hollingsworth and Eric Andrist)

Reporting by Jennifer Kastner

02/21/2019—”Doctors’ Dirty Secrets: Why It’s Important You Check Your Doctor’s Background”—NBC-LA (Invesigation by Eric Andrist)

Reporting by Carolyn Johnson & Phil Drechsler of NBC-LA.

12/13/2018—”In California, Doctors Accused of Sexual Misconduct Often Get Second Chances“—California Healthline with Marian Hollingsworth

Tracy Lystra at her home.

11/28/2018—”State Task Force Forming to Investigate Stem Cell Clinics“—NBC San Diego with Marian and Ed Hollingsworth.


11/09/2018—”More than 150 San Diego doctors disciplined for sex abuse, negligence”—10News San Diego with Marian Hollingsworth

10/19/2018—Charles Johnson testifies at a Medical Board meeting about his wife, Kira’s death


1/22/2018—”COUPLE BLASTS MEDICAL BOARD FOR DR. DANIEL HEADRICK’S ‘DISCIPLINE‘”—OC Weekly with Tammy Smick


1/18/2018—Tim and Tammy Smick testify at a Medical Board meeting about the death of their son, Alex, and how the Medical Board let the doctor (Daniel Headrick) off with a slap on the wrist.


12/17/2017—”How a multimillion-dollar empire built around urine drug tests exposes flaws in California’s rehab laws“—OC Register with Tammy Smick


Tammy Smick of Downey, sits in the bedroom of her son, Alex, who died in 2012 from a lethal combination of prescription medications while being treated at an Orange County drug treatment center. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)

11/30/2017—”California Doctors Are Getting Away with Sexual Misconduct“—Sacramento Bee by Marian Hollingsworth


9/15/2017—”Bill Requiring Discipline Disclosure Fails“—NBC LA with Eric Andrist


9/14/2017—”Lawmakers Pass Bill to Renew Medical Watchdog Agency“—NBC Bay Area with Eric Andrist


9/13/2017—”Is California Doing Enough To Protect Patients From Bad Doctors?“—KPBS with Marian Hollingsworth


9/13/2017—”Doctors on Probation Aren’t Required to Disclose Deadly Medical Mistakes to Patients“—NBC Bay Area with Eric Andrist


4/13/2017—”Bacteria Infected 10 Infants at UC Irvine Hospital, But the Public Is Just Finding Out“—LA Times with Marian Hollingsworth

Hospital officials confirmed the outbreak after questions from The Times. The newspaper learned of the outbreak from Marian Hollingsworth, who filed a complaint about it with the state.

3/12/2017—”Sacramento Battle Over Telling Patients About Doctors’ Probation“—SF Chronical with Eric Andrist

 State Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo (right), shown last year with then-state Sen. Mark Leno, wants patients to know when their doctors are on probation. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

3/03/2017—”California Medical Board President Faces Questions Over Vote in Sexual Misconduct Case“—California Healthline (Kaiser Health News) with Eric Andrist and Marian Hollingsworth

Dr. Dev GnanaDev (center), pictured in 2012, struck a controversial business deal after the board decided to reinstate the license of a doctor who engaged in sexual misconduct with patients. (Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

2/24/2017—”Hundreds of California doctors on probation“—10News San Diego with Marian Hollingsworth


7/16/2016—”Doctors Crossing Line Should Face Swift, Strong Actions“—Atlanta Journal Constitution—Op-Ed by Eric Andrist and Marian Hollingsworth


10/10/2014—”Activists see link between over-prescribing of opioid painkillers and increase in overdoses“—Sacramento Bee with Tim and Tammy Smick

Tammy and Tim Smick, center, join families of victims of drug abuse, physician overprescribing, and medical malpractice at a California Medical Association convention last year in Anaheim. Barbara Davidson Los Angeles Times

11/18/2013—”Medical Errors Kill Hundreds of Thousands Each Year in the US“—RT with Eric Andrist


7/09/2013—”It’s Time to Fix California’s Outdated Medical Malpractice Law“—LA Times by Michael Hiltzik, with Eric Andrist

Eric Andrist, 50, is photographed in his home in the Valley Village area of Los Angeles on July 8, 2013. Eric is the brother of Cali Andrist who passed away on March 9, 2012 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. Her cause of death was strangulation of the small bowel and sepsis conducted through a private autopsy requested by Eric. The hospital listed she died from cardiac arrest, small bowel obstruction and chronic atrial fibrillation. Eric is suiing the hospital for medical negligence for his sisters death. (Photo by Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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