Adolescent Patient Abused at WellSpan Facility

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A suicidal adolescent patient at a Pennsylvania hospital was improperly touched by a hospital employee who inexplicably was later allowed to return to caring for the same patient, according to a report from the state Health Department.
An 18-page report on the WellSpring Ephrata Community Hospital, states that officials at the 133-bed hospital "failed to remove an employee from patient care who was being investigated for abuse."
The hospital, the report continues, "allowed the employee to continue to work with the patient with whom the alleged abuse took place."
The unnamed patient was brought to the hospital on April 6 after "self harm was witnessed" in the home. The patient was involuntarily committed and placed on high risk observation, according to health department surveyors. That triggered the appointment of a sitter to watch the patient at all times.
When another employee looked into the video monitor he observed the sitter "sitting on the side of the bed leaning over the patient, who was lying on the bed.
"The employee (sitter)was stroking the patient's arms, face and torso," the report states, adding that another employee who observed the video concluded that the behavior was "not appropriate."
The sitter was then told to leave the patient's room.
"The patient just wanted the employee to leave the room," the report states.
Subsequent attempts to report the incident to a supervisor failed and the employee checked out at the end of the shift, but later called a supervisor at home "because this event could not wait to be reported.
In the mean time the sitter who was never asked to leave, returned to the victim's room until the end of the shift. And, records show, the sitter was assigned to watch the same patient three days later.
The sitter was first placed on administrative leave and terminated on April 18.
In a final finding the report notes the hospital failed to report the suspected abuse to a sister state agency on a timely basis.
The hospital filed a plan of correction in which it promised to institute a training program to educate staffers on the proper procedures to follow in cases of suspected abuse, including initiating actions against the suspected abuser.
In respone to a series of questions to the facility spokesman, Ryan Coyle, said, "We are committed to providing safe, high-quality care for our patients. Following this incident, WellSpan Health worked closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to submit an abatement plan that was quickly accepted.
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