Patients at a psychiatric institute in Washington, D.C., have endured years of “serious and disturbing abuse and neglect” from staff members that often left them physically injured, according to an investigation by Disability Rights DC.
Numerous patients have reported feeling unsafe after being admitted for psychiatric care at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, which is the only private, for-profit psychiatric hospital in the district. Patients have detailed instances of short-term treatments leaving them “traumatized,” including incidents in which patients were “physically injured” by staff members or given drugs in order to be constrained, according to the 43-page report released Wednesday.
MAYOR BOWSER REQUESTS ACTIVATION OF DC NATIONAL GUARD OVER MIGRANT BUSES
“The patients at The Psychiatric Institute of Washington have a right to be safe,” wrote Disability Rights DC, which has the authority to open investigations into allegations of abuse and misconduct. “Alarmingly, for years, Disability Rights DC’s investigations into allegations of abuse and neglect at PIW have revealed evidence of serious and disturbing abuse and neglect at PIW.”
A similar investigation last year detailed videotape footage of a patient’s death at PIW due to nursing neglect. Reports of abuse have increased since the release of that report in June 2021, prompting Disability Rights DC to open another investigation.
Several of the allegations in Wednesday’s report are backed by videotape evidence showing staff members physically mistreating patients, including some staff using “unauthorized physical restraint techniques” that caused “a patient to fall to the ground and likely resulted in head and arm injuries,” according to the investigation. Another video purportedly shows a male staff member dragging a female across the floor, pushing her into a room, and holding the door closed.
“The patient reported she thought the staff was going to sexually assault her after he pushed her in the room,” the report says.
Staff members failed to protect patients from conflicts, including one incident in which a teenager was stabbed in the face after a fight broke out among several patients, the report found.
Staff members would “involuntarily” inject patients with medication in order to constrain them, which is illegal under D.C. law, the investigation also found. Other medication errors occurred, including instances in which the staff would administer the incorrect dosage of prescribed medication or administer medication without a doctor’s order, the investigation found.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
As part of its findings, Disability Rights DC issued several recommendations, including a suggestion that PIW hire an outside trauma-informed specialist and that the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health provide more oversight over the institution. It’s not clear whether PIW will implement the recommended changes, but a spokesperson for the institution told the Washington Examiner it would “implement operational changes” where “appropriate.”
“At the Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW), we are dedicated to caring for and treating patients with compassion, dignity and respect. Incidents are thoroughly investigated by regulatory authorities and by our internal team, per standard procedure,” said Bonita Bolden, the interim director of business development for PIW. “Due to HIPAA patient privacy laws, we cannot comment on specific patients or their care.”
