The Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup is facing inquiries after a patient died of strangulation in September, according to a recent article published by the Baltimore Sun. The deceased patient is the third to die at the hospital since 2008, raising serious questions about the psychiatric hospital’s staffing and procedures.
Another resident in the same hall was charged with the murder of the most recently deceased patient. Last year, a patient was found dead after hospital staff had allowed him to lift his bed for exercise, which is a violation of hospital rules. A third patient died after complaining of leg pain, an indication of blood clots, but received no treatment from Perkins hospital staff, despite having a high risk for blood clots.
Perkins Hospital is Maryland’s only maximum-security psychiatric hospital. It houses over 200 patients, many of whom have been charged with felonies or who would have been convicted of a felony but for their mental illness. The hospital is frequently understaffed, and employees report receiving pressure from administrators to move patients quickly through and out of the hospital, even if the patients are unable to live without supervision.
Most hospitals strive to take good care of patients. However, when a hospital’s care system fails, medical malpractice, patient restraint injuries, illnesses like Legionnaire’s Disease, and even wrongful death can result. If you or a loved one has been injured while receiving hospital care, please contact experienced Maryland restraint injury attorney Steven H. Heisler, “The Injury Lawyer.” Call 877-228-4878 today for a free and confidential consultation.
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