State Hospital Hit for Suicide Risks

By Walter F. Roche Jr.


A Medicare inspection of a Pennsylvania state mental hospital turned up multiple risks for patients with suicidal thoughts.
The October review of the Clarks Summit State Hospital found that electric beds with side rails in multiple patient rooms contained open loopable points that "pose a risk for a person with suicidal thoughts."
The beds were found in some 15 locations.
A plan of correction filed by hospital officials calls for the side rails to be removed and safely stored away from areas accessible to patients. Patients still requiring side rails will be monitored with checks by staffers very 15 minutes.
The inspection was made as part of the annual re-certification process for participation in the federally funded Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The same report cites the hospital's dietary department for staffers not wearing nets over facial hair and for the failure to record temperatures of foods being served to patients. The department also was cited for making unapproved menu substitutions.