Patient killed at Eastern State Hospital
MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. (AP) - A male patient at Eastern State Hospital was killed early Tuesday morning, and the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said a female patient has been detained in the case.
The man was found dead around 3 a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's spokesman Craig Chamberlin said.
"We're not putting out the method of death," or the identities of the people involved, he said.
Law officers are obtaining warrants to search the rooms of the victim and the suspect, he said.
The sheriff's office is working with the state Department of Social and Health Services, which oversees the mental hospital located in this suburb of Spokane.
Eastern has 287 beds and serves patients from 20 Eastern Washington counties. Other counties are served by Western State Hospital at Lakewood.
The victim was found dead on the floor of the hospital's forensics unit, where patients are evaluated after being committed by a judge during a criminal case, said John Wiley, a spokesman for DSHS. People are sent there if they are considered a danger to themselves or others, he said.
Patients have been moved out of the ward where the slaying took place, DSHS said.
The union representing Eastern State workers released a statement saying workers have been "diligent in raising concerns about short-staffing" at the hospital. The workers are represented by Local 782 of the Washington Federation of State Employees.
"We have raised these issues with management for more than a year," the union statement said. "It's not clear if this understaffing contributed to this morning's tragedy."
The man was found dead around 3 a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's spokesman Craig Chamberlin said.
"We're not putting out the method of death," or the identities of the people involved, he said.
Law officers are obtaining warrants to search the rooms of the victim and the suspect, he said.
The sheriff's office is working with the state Department of Social and Health Services, which oversees the mental hospital located in this suburb of Spokane.
Eastern has 287 beds and serves patients from 20 Eastern Washington counties. Other counties are served by Western State Hospital at Lakewood.
The victim was found dead on the floor of the hospital's forensics unit, where patients are evaluated after being committed by a judge during a criminal case, said John Wiley, a spokesman for DSHS. People are sent there if they are considered a danger to themselves or others, he said.
Patients have been moved out of the ward where the slaying took place, DSHS said.
The union representing Eastern State workers released a statement saying workers have been "diligent in raising concerns about short-staffing" at the hospital. The workers are represented by Local 782 of the Washington Federation of State Employees.
"We have raised these issues with management for more than a year," the union statement said. "It's not clear if this understaffing contributed to this morning's tragedy."
Time for these two state hospitals to loose their medical test site with waiver license and attain a Psychiatric Hospital License as per RCW 71.12 and for the DPH to do its job as per the law and monitor the practice and the patient care in these institutions; the medication administration is especially in need of ongoing monitoring . The Joint Commission's monitoring is inadequate especially when incidents are not immediately reported.  Although they will pull their name from an institution that has chronic poor quality, the Joint Commission is paid by the institution to monitor.  In fact, it is well past time that the DOJ-Special Litigation Unit take action against these institutions. The DPH needs to be in both these facilities not only monitoring if the drug and dosages prescribed are appropriate but if the rights of the person being drugged are being violated by forcing the drugs; what authority is in these institutions on a routine basis doing chart reviews and patient interviews? ANSWER: NONE  IMO both of these wanna be state "psychiatric hospitals" create more problems than they fix and their usual TOP SECRET tactic validates that they are more than aware that the way they practice is a cause for concern. It appears the medical test site with waiver license is a ploy that adverts monitoring by the DPH. Your State Governor has failed you by not enforcing the appropriate monitoring of these facilities and the complaints to her office regarding the care of patients in these facilities are simply ignored!!!
Define "secure at lights out" ? If you mean are all the patients locked in their rooms at night, the answer is NO. This is a hospital, not a prision. In keeping with a variety of state and federal laws as well as years of court cases at the state and federal levels, the state hospital must limit the use of any/all restrictive procedures. From restraints to locked rooms. In fact a locked bedroom would be considered a seclusion room and that has certain stringent requirments such as a staff member sitting by the door while the patient is in the room. Patients in thier regular bedooms must be allowed access to the toilets. If they can't sleep, they must have access to the nurse of prn sleep meds or if they re ill or simply want to sit in a chair in the day room. Eastern state typically has two staff on shift at night. One on the floor and on inside a security station. Not very safe for patients or staff.
not even safe in a hospital
 @Komo Dragon A mental hospital at that, Don't they secure the wards at lights out?
 @Komo Dragon Not your typical hospital. Also, considering he was being held in the hospital's forensic unit, it's possible it was self defense.
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