| Probe
Launched into Deaths |
||
| The state Department of Mental Health is investigating the recent deaths of four Worcester State Hospital patients and one former patient. Kevin Preston, assistant commissioner of community relations, confirmed yesterday that four persons who were being treated at the hospital died between September 1987 and this month. A fifth patient died two weeks after being discharged from the facility last Oct. 25. The patients were identified by sources close to the institution as Kenneth Carlson, 22; William McColgan, 33; James Hayes, 36; Janice Jackson, 34, and Maureen Parker, 45. The times of death for the patients were not available. Investigators from the Office of Internal Affairs, which is under the supervision of Mental Health Commissioner Ned Murphy, are trying to determine whether staff at the facility were negligent. "Commissioner Murphy's commitment on this and any other case is that if we did something inappropriately, or if there were deficiencies in the way these patients were handled, we're going to let it out and play it straight even if it hurts," Preston said last night. He said that two probes have been completed, but reports have not been issued. The deaths and the investigation were reported last night by WCVB-TV (Ch.5). "The number of deaths are not unusual here," said Preston. "Worcester State Hospital has 1,500 admissions a year and typically they are crisis situations. What is unusual is the ages of these people." The first death, believed to have been caused by cardiac arrythmia or an irregularity in the heartbeat occurred on Aug. 20 and has been attributed to a congenital heart defect. Sources, who identified the victim as McColgan,said the patient had a history of self-abusive behavior. They said that before his death McColgan hit his head on a hard surface and was placed in leather restraints to prevent him from falling off his bed while undergoing emergency medical procedures. McColgan was taken to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester after he began experiencing problems with his heart while he was being examined. An electrocardiogram conducted during McColgan's stay at the facility had shown no signs of a heart ailment, sources said.
|
Hayes, who was found in his room at 11:10 p.m. on Sept. 21, is believed to have had a seizure. An autopsy report has attributed his death to natural causes. "On the second death, a report by our investigators has found that the response by staff was appropriate," Preston said. A month later, on Oct. 25, Carlson died two weeks after completing a six-week stay at the facility. Officials are awaiting the completion of an autopsy report. Internal affairs investigators are also trying to determine whether hospital officials should have discharged Carlson, who had a history of inhaling gasoline fumes. There is speculation that he may have committed suicide by placing a plastic bag over his head and inhaling gasoline fumes. A day after Carlson died, Jackson died at the UMass medical center. The 34-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital two weeks earlier after she began choking on regurgitated food that had lodged in her throat. A second death related to choking occurred on Jan. 1 when Parker was pronounced dead at the medical center. Parker was admitted Dec. 7 after hospital workers saw her gasping for air. Sources said Parker lapsed into a coma after the choking incident and did not regain consciousness at the hospital. "We don't know what caused the last death," Preston said. "We will be looking to see whether there could have been some kind of allergic reaction to a particular food, or whether the patient choked on food or some other foreign substance. "Typically we do investigations faster, but we don't have all the autopsy reports and we really won't know what to look for until we have them." Last August, the US Justice Department won a lawsuit aimed at improving care at Worcester State Hospital after US District Court Judge A. David Mazzone heard testimony that understaffing, crowding and inappropriate use of chemical and physical restraints had threatened the health and safety of patients. At the time of the first of the five deaths, the hospital had experienced a 45 percent increase in its budget, now $23 million, and more than 100 new staff members had been hired since the suit had been filed. |
|
Disclaimer: This article is featured on designedbreakdown solely for entertainment and educational purposes. Neither the publication nor this website are affiliated with one another in any way. Any photos featured within the article are chosen from galleries of photos on designedbreakdown.com unless noted otherwise. |
||
