Breaking: Psych facility admits wrongdoing!
I can't breathe. I'm in shock. A hospital has admitted a mistake. I love them! Of course it was in Vermont, where people are a bit more humane anyway. (They wouldn't wear Birkenstocks if they weren't.)
Benjamin R. Petrie III hanged himself on Jan. 21 at Fletcher Allen Healthcare center (pictured). From Vermont's WCAX TV News:
Last week, hospital psychiatry chief Robert Pierattini said workers in the psychiatric unit failed to check on the person who committed suicide at prescribed 15-minute intervals. No one checked on him for an hour, and when they did he was found dead, he said.
Imagine how different the world would be if hospitals admitted their mistakes. Then other hospitals could learn from them, and do things differently, and bad things would happen less frequently. Maybe that sounds idealistic and naive, but I can't help thinking that it'll be a long time before the staff at Fletcher lets that happen again.
Comments
While an admission is welcomed without evidence to the contrary we can only hope - but not yet expect - that such a thing will not to happen again. We have seen too many situations where one tragedy does not preclude a similar occurrence in future.
Sadly, an example is to be found at Vermont's state psychiatric hospital where in 2003 one suicide by hanging didn't prevent another within one month.
United States Department of Justice, Findings Letter, CRIPA Investigation of the Vermont State Hospital, Waterbury, Vermont (7/5/05)
www.usdoj.gov/crt/split/documents/vermont_findlet_7-5-05.pdf
United States Department of Justice, Complaint (7/21/06)
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/split/documents/vermont_complant_7-21-06.pdf
Posted by: Joe | January 30, 2007 11:33 AM
I can't imagine a worse tyranny than not being allowed to die when you want to.
Posted by: whatever | February 1, 2008 11:14 PM