HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Recent escapes from a mental health facility in Huntington are sparking the Cabell County Commission to call for an investigation.
“This has been a big problem,” Commissioner Kelli Sobonya said.
The commission is sending a letter to West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, highlighting three examples of escapes since last month from River Park Hospital, including a convicted sex offender who’d been committed to the custody of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources by reason of insanity, and was considered extremely dangerous and had a history of violent behavior.
Around noon on April 27, a hospital nurse called 911 to report the man had taken off, but the public wasn’t notified until nearly 10 hours after the escape.
He was found and arrested the following morning.
“That person could’ve gone into a house two doors down or into the school,” Commissioner John Mandt said. “Time is very important when something like that happens. People weren’t notified in a timely manner.”
Commissioners said with the hospital being close to St. Joseph Catholic School, homes, and businesses, more needs to be done to prevent escapes from happening, and people nearby need to be notified faster when it does happen.
“If they’ve got somebody who needs to be behind locked doors and controlled at all times, maybe they should put them somewhere other than a minimum security hospital if that’s the case,” Cabell County Sheriff Doug Adams said. “That’s our hope by reaching out to the Governor’s Office, to see if he can help minimize this from happening again.”
WSAZ reached out to the Governor’s Office for comment. They referred us to the West Virginia Department of Facilities.
In a written statement, their spokesperson said “The West Virginia Department of Facilities (DHF) owns and operates two psychiatric hospitals, Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital in Huntington and William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital in Weston. River Park Hospital is not a state-owned and operated facility. Therefore, any questions regarding security or operational protocols at River Park Hospital should be addressed by it directly.”
The DHF’s statement also stated, “We appreciate and share your concerns for the community. River Park Hospital does house diverted patients from our two psychiatric facilities. Therefore, DHF intends to have a conversation with River Park Hospital regarding these security issues.”
In response to WSAZ’s request for comment, River Park Hospital shared a written statement that said in part, “River Park Hospital maintains comprehensive safety procedures and ongoing monitoring practices designed to protect and support our residents. River Park Hospital is committed to providing high-quality care to children, adolescents, and adults with special, and often complex, mental health needs.”
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