RICHMOND, Va. — HCA Healthcare has responded to a Virginia Health Department investigation which found Irvo Otieno did not receive proper care for a mental health crisis when Henrico Police officers brought him to the crisis receiving center at Parham Doctors’ Hospital on March 3.
Otieno's death three days later inside a state mental facility to criminal charges against several Henrico Sheriff’s deputies and Central State Hospital staff members.
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As WTVR CBS 6 was first to report earlier this month, VDH investigators said Parham Doctors’ Hospital staff failed to provide the necessary stabilizing treatment after Otieno was "presented to the emergency department with an emergency medical condition."
But in a corrective action plan obtained by WTVR CBS 6 Friday afternoon, HCA disagreed, saying they feel their staff “provided appropriate stabilizing treatment but was not able to fully stabilize the patient because our care was interrupted by the intervention of Henrico County Police officers.”
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Those officers initially took Otieno to the hospital under an emergency custody order, but ultimately decided to arrest him and take him to the Henrico Jail after they said he became physically violent.
HCA officials said they have since created a comprehensive process and plan for how Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and Parham Doctors’ Hospital staff should interact with law enforcement during a behavioral health crisis.
The plan is multi-faceted, but it requires hospital staff to clearly communicate to police when removing a patient would be against medical advice, to include explaining the risks and potential harm.
It also calls for emergency department physician staff to complete de-escalation training.
And the plan states that Parham Doctors Hospital leadership will request a meeting with Henrico Police to “discuss and collaborate” on this process.
WTVR CBS 6 has reached out to Henrico Police for a response Friday afternoon, but we did not immediately hear back. We will update this story with the department's response.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
