Mental hospital to be run by outside firm
Friday, August 29th, 2008
By Staff
A management firm will take control of the state's troubled mental hospital in Goldsboro and conduct a top-to-bottom evaluation of the hospital's operations, staff and management.
The state Department of Health and Human Services hopes to have the firm in place by mid-September, said Leza Wainwright, a director of the state mental health division. She could not recall another instance in which the state hired a company to manage a hospital.
Cherry is in danger of losing its federal money after investigators discovered this month that a 50-year-old patient, Steve Sabock, was left sitting in a chair without food and adequate water for more than 22 hours while workers played cards and watched television. Last week, two workers beat a patient.
Federal investigators are inspecting the hospital this week, and a decision is expected Monday about whether Cherry can keep its federal payments. Cherry receives an average of $798,000 in federal funds each month.
The outside firm, which has not been chosen, will run the hospital during the evaluation, Wainwright said. The state wants the company to assess "staffing, organizational structure, the competence and effectiveness of managers and supervisors at all levels, and all other components of hospital management and operational activities." (more…)
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