5 hours ago · Washington, D.C.’s only public psychiatric institution may have repeatedly violated D.C. laws regarding alleged employees’ treatment of mentally ill patients, including improper restraint and forced seclusion of patients, according to a report by nonprofit group Disability Rights D.C. at University Legal Services. The report was published Sept. 26, two years after the … >> Go To The Portal
A patient at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast Washington was killed early Wednesday during a confrontation with another patient who was being held at the psychiatric facility awaiting trial on an assault charge, according to police and court documents.
(Disability Rights DC) A new report by advocates for the mentally ill alleges patient mistreatment and staff misconduct at a Northwest Washington psychiatric hospital that resulted in the mass arrest of teenagers and the death of a patient last year. Get the full experience.
The report detailed examples of alleged neglect, including an incident in which advocates say hospital staff failed to properly respond last year to an unresponsive patient who died. On April 26, 2020, a patient who should have been supervised by a dedicated nurse was left unsupervised and later was found unresponsive, advocates said.
This isn’t the first time the hospital has been under scrutiny. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice gained oversight of St. Elizabeths after an investigation found patient assaults and civil rights violations. That oversight ended in 2014, when it was determined that patient care had improved.
In 2013, there were only four restraints all year. That number jumped to 782 in 2018. In 2012, patients at St. Elizabeths spent a total of 49 hours in seclusion, in 2018, that number increased to 391 hours. This isn’t the first time the hospital has been under scrutiny.
The hospital’s own internal audit showed a dramatic increase in using the tactics. In 2013, there were only four restraints all year.
The third case involved a woman with a history of physical and sexual abuse. The report claimed she was restrained and secluded multiple times, despite the hospital’s policy against using those methods for someone with a history of trauma.
On April 26, 2020 , a patient who should have been supervised by a dedicated nurse was left unsupervised and later was found unresponsive, advocates said. The patient then did not receive timely care, according to the report, which was the result of an investigation into the allegations. Advertisement.
A previous owner of the hospital paid $379 million to settle similar claims in 1994. In March, D.C. police said they recaptured a teenagercharged in a homicide who had escaped from the facility. Disability Rights DC said it opened an investigation after a stabbing incident last month.
In one incident on June 7, 2020, the report said, adolescent patients became aggressive and staff were “unable to de-escalate the situation.”. After staff called police, seven adolescents were arrested, returned to PIW the next day and were medicated for agitation, according to the report.
The hospital determined the allegations were unfounded, the report said, and did not alert the Department of Behavioral Health, which advocates say should have been able to investigate the claims. The report recommended that PIW create a corrective action plan and that city agencies increase oversight.