Submitted by bniolet on November 24, 2008 – 9:42am.

Five workers at a state mental hospital who violated rules by strapping a patient face-down to a bed charged this morning that they were being treated as scapegoats for the hospital's management problems.

The five — a nurse and four health care technicians — are on paid leave of up to 30 days from their jobs at Central Regional Hospital while state officials conduct an internal investigation, Michael Biesecker reports.

The incident occurred early Wednesday morning at Central Regional after a 24-year-old man resisted having his blood drawn for tests and made verbal threats, according to a staff report.

The employees admitted this morning that they had restrained the man-face down, instead of placing him on his back as required by hospital procedures. The face-down position can be life-threatening, causing the person to panic and making it difficult to breathe. (more…)