Another mental hospital under investigation
Wisconsin's state-run Winnebago Mental Health Institute is under fire for poor patient supervision after several incidents in which patients were in jeopardy.
Poor supervision and bad judgment on the part of hospital staff are being blamed for three deaths and one rape at Winnebago, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.
Almost three dozen acts of violence have been reported at Winnebago, which houses some of the state’s most severely mentally ill patients.
Among the cases recently cited is that of a 15-year-old girl with swallowing problems who, after being taken off her special diet of soft foods, choked to death on a sandwich, the newspaper said.
A 24-year-old patient collapsed and died after staff disregarded her complaints of dizziness. Another woman, who was supposed to be under constant supervision, committed suicide after she was left alone in a bathroom.
Rape is also reportedly an issue at Winnebago, which was cited for an incident in which a 13-year-old boy raped a 14-year-old girl while the two were unsupervised in a shower area.
Winnebago's director, Robert Kneepkens, told the newspaper there has been significant progress toward fixing problems of understaffing and patient neglect.
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