SAN ANTONIO – Our mental health system in San Antonio was thrust into crisis earlier this year when a large psychiatric hospital announced it lost federal funding.
Laurel Ridge Treatment Center said it would lay off more than 600 staff and drastically reduce its number of beds.
Now the News 4 I-Team has obtained inspection records revealing the conditions that led to that decision.
The deficiency reports dating back several years say at one point last year patients at Laurel Ridge were found to be in “Immediate Jeopardy”, and even after corrective steps were taken the hospital remained out of compliance.
One report says the facility failed to protect patients’ safety by not securing and removing hazardous objects such as shards of glass from broken windows.
Units were left unattended at times when nurses said there wasn’t enough staff to cover them when they took bathroom breaks.
Also, not enough registered nurses were on duty to supervise other employees and patients.
Some of the deficiencies involved searches for contraband.
Last August an inspector witnessed a patient with wounds from slashing her forearms with razor blades she smuggled into the hospital in her waistband.
Her clothes were confiscated, but a few days later they were returned with a razor blade still in them and she cut herself again, according to a report.
One family complained their loved one was discharged to a boarding home and no one told them.
The patient ran away from the boarding home and was found wandering the streets.
One report said the Governing Body overseeing the hospital failed to deal with those hazards.
Laurel Ridge said it lost Medicare funding earlier this year, and that the resulting layoffs would happen at the end of June.
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Laurel Ridge did not respond to our request for comment on Friday.