The family of a Mercy Medical Center patient is speaking out for the first time, to News 12 Long Island, about the negligent care they say caused their loved one to suffer a heart attack.

Nancy Fields says an IV was improperly placed in her sister Ricky Gonzales while she was in the ICU. She says Gonzales did not get the correct medicine and suffered a subsequent heart attack.

"I found my sister in very poor condition,? Fields told News 12 Long Island. ?You know, dirty nightgown, everything was filthy. The sheets were wet, so I found it in very poor condition in the last two weeks." Gonzales is now on a respirator.

Dr. Anthony Colantonio, a doctor at Mercy who has accused the hospital of poor patient care, stands by Fields? allegations. He says the patients in the ICU are in imminent danger.

The hospital is under the intense scrutiny of the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation for alleged patient health violations and deaths.

Mercy hospital doctors have denied the allegations made by Dr. Colantonio, and they called his integrity into question.

To watch an extended interview with Nancy Fields, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.