Temple Behavioral Unit Cited Again.

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

For the second time this year Temple University Hospital has been cited by state health officials for issues at its behavioral unit at the so-called Episcopal campus.
In a 12-page report made public last week, the Pennsylvania Health Department said the facility failed to file a required report following an accusation of patient-on-patient abuse. The finding followed a two day review in February of the facility records.
"It was determined that the facility was not in compliance with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Health's rules and regulations for hospitals," the report states, adding that the state was not notified of a complaint of "patient-on-patient abuse."
The incident, the report states, occurred on Sept. 2 of last year when a patient reported to a staff nurse that a male patient had kissed her causing her to become upset.
The patient who filed the complaint also attempted to confront the male patient stating "I'm going to kick your a.."
The inspectors wrote that the patient had to be separated from the male patient and was redirected to her room and was given medication due to her agitation.
Temple was cited for failing to provide a safe environment "free from any form of abuse, harassment, exploitation and neglect."
Despite the incident, the inspectors said Temple failed to comply with a requirement to report complaints of abuse to the state agency.
Temple filed a plan of correction in which they promised to educate staff on reporting requirements and to monitor to ensure compliance.
"Education began in March to remind staff to report all patient/family reports of abuse," the plan states.
In the same report, Temple was faulted for failing to take action after the patient who filed the abuse report was described at the time of admission as "disheveled and malodorous."
The report states that despite that observation hospital records "did not contain documented evidence of any assistance provided to the patients for completion of the activities of daily living by nursing staff during the patient's entire admission."
The citation is the second this year for the Temple 198-bed behavioral unit. An earlier report cited the facility for overuse of restraints.
Temple Hospital officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment
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