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[Suzukipyscho815]

My buddies and I were out driving tonight.  We pulled up to a stop light at an intersection.  As we came to a stop there was what looked like a woman wearing a dress standing on the side of the road.  She had a blank look on her face, kind of gazing at the ground.  No big deal, except it was pouring rain and this happened to be a very buisy road.  Then i realized that it wasnt a dress she was wearing, it was a hospital gown.  As i tried to decipher what i was seeing a car flew threw the red light and parked next to this woman.  A woman wearing a nurses uniform came running out of the car.  

Then it hit me.  I was looking at a patient that escaped from the mental hospital down the street.  I was in awe.  This woman had traveled about 3/4 of a mile and crossed five lanes of trafic and a highway on ramp while doing so!  I have heard of patients escaping but this seemed a little unreal.  A fifty or so year old woman just walks off of hospital grounds.  She didnt seem like the type that would put up a fight and run away.

This leaves me with two questions.  Do patients escape often?  How far do they usually make it?

[GrimAngel]

wow, that must have been pretty wierd to see.  Bet the nurse what nabbed her was freaking out

[Lyric]

It happens.
As to the frequency, I believe that varies by location.
It's really no different than having a patient get up and walk right out of an Emergency room.

People who are ill, regardless of how (mental/physical) are often A LOT like small children, turn your back and *POOF* they are gone, let your guard down, and they will manipulate the heck out of you, if you let them.


Then of course there is the element of the enabler.
The 'friend' or family member who has been manipulated or has some guilt thing going, who actually HELP these people get out.
Coming to get them for a day visit and not returning them, taking them outside and helping them walk off the property.


Patients who are AWOL risks are often more carefully watched and have freedoms a bit more restricted.

[bdhsnake]

is there no way to put a sensor in the wrist bands or in  gowns.  like how the stores have inventory control  have  them a entrance which locks the next set of doors and make a lot of noise

[Dennis_C]

is there no way to put a sensor in the wrist bands or in  gowns.  like how the stores have inventory control  have  them a entrance which locks the next set of doors and make a lot of noise

They do have those, some hospitals might not.

[Lyric]

Sure you could use them.  But... you have to get the past the patient rights advocates AND the bleeding hearts that feel that sedation and/or seclusion is wrong and unneccessary.

Mind you, many of these people have never had a 4 ft nothing 100 pounds if she's lucky in a full on psychotic rage throwing chairs at your head and trying to claw your eyes out and chew off your ears.

I think it would be a fabulous idea.

However, there are those who would interpret this measure as treating the patients like dogs with collars...... sad.. but true.

[Big Ed]

Sure you could use them.  But... you have to get the past the patient rights advocates AND the bleeding hearts that feel that sedation and/or seclusion is wrong and unneccessary.

Mind you, many of these people have never had a 4 ft nothing 100 pounds if she's lucky in a full on psychotic rage throwing chairs at your head and trying to claw your eyes out and chew off your ears.

I think it would be a fabulous idea.

However, there are those who would interpret this measure as treating the patients like dogs with collars...... sad.. but true.

It doesn't say much for the security and watchfulness of the staff.  To let a person dressed in a hospital gown traipse out of a facility sorta screams we weren't paying attention.  People escape from us all the time, but at least they're dressed.

[Lyric]

Ed.... m'dear.  You couldn't be more right about this if you tried.

To let a patient walk out in a hospital gown... is bad news, if pushed, it shows gross negligence.

At least if they have street clothes on, they aren't over exposed to the elements.


Patients do escape, all the time from various facilities...  But, I think it is because they are dressed, the general public doesn't realize it.

[Big Ed]

It does depend on the level of security of the facility.  You take into account is the facility a locked ward setting.  Most places that have a system where privelges are earned and a sign out system,also have a staff member who makes sure people are dressed appropriately for the weather and such. If the patient was an escape risk for either intentional reasons, or are just too out to lunch to realize where ,and what they are doing, are on precautions.   We do 15 minute checks .  For the staff not to notice, and let a person in a johnny get 3/4 of a mile from a facility is a real FUBAR .  I expect a rather stern talking to by hospital administration were I ward staff.  Was this a state facility?  Is it a mental hospital?  Is it a general hospital with a psych ward?

[Suzukipyscho815]

Was this a state facility? Is it a mental hospital? Is it a general hospital with a psych ward?

Yes sir, this is a state facility.  It started life as a sanatorium and according to the information i found, work is still being done with tuberculosis there.  Its a standard issue mental hospital too.

[Big Ed]

Was this a state facility? Is it a mental hospital? Is it a general hospital with a psych ward?

Yes sir, this is a state facility.  It started life as a sanatorium and according to the information i found, work is still being done with tuberculosis there.  Its a standard issue mental hospital too.

Might I ask which hospital You can PM me.  I know a guy who works for the Connecticut equivalent of DMH .  He likes hearing these horror stories

[weasel]

is there no way to put a sensor in the wrist bands or in  gowns.  like how the stores have inventory control  have  them a entrance which locks the next set of doors and make a lot of noise

In the nursing facility where I used to work they had that exact system in place. They had little boxes attached to the person or to their wheelchair. There were sensors in the doorways to the elevators and if a person tried to get on the elevator, the system would beep. Now, this seems like a good way to protect people from wandering off...but.....

they could remove the device if they were coherent enough to do so

the beeping became so routine and ignored at times due to the frequency of hearing it. Much like a car alarm, it tends to go off even for reasons which do not need attention. If a resident wheeled too close to the elevator, not necessarliy trying to get into it, the beep would sound.

The alarms were only placed on main entrances

At one point, and in THE MIDDLE OF WINTER, a lady who was living in the rehab department decided to leave the place out a new doorway they were making during renovation!! This lady was seriously depressed and was not elderly. She was stuck in the place due to a leg problem which needed skilled phyisical rehab for several months. This lady was found in the snow after a search. She was ok, but moved to a mental hospital after that. This was on the news too. :shock: After this had happened, they decided that until the rennovations were done, that they needed to have a person stand "gaurd" at that door. I was one of the gaurds, lol.

[Barbara]

Wow, I'm glad they found her.  A kid that was in my hs homeroom, his grandma had Alzheimer's or something, wasn't in a hospital or anything I don't believe, but she wandered off one day and it took a couple of days to find her.  They eventually found her in a ditch on the side of a road (she actually was OK though) and right when they found her my dad happened to be driving by.  Quite a scary scene.

Another incident happened one day my sophomore year, we were in class when an announcement came on that we were to stay in the classrooms and lock the doors even if the bell rang, someone had escaped from a transport van (I believe they were criminally insane) and apparently they were wearing a jumpsuit, so we were also to keep our eyes open and report if we saw anyone (out the window).  Was kinda creepy, but they caught him pretty fast.

[Brooke]

I was in a hospital a few years back and I did go AWOL.  It was scary for me because it was in the middle of the night and raining like mad.  I was out for a few hours until they found me.  I was not from that area and the hospital was in the middle of nowhere.  I had nowhere to go except plowed cornfields and highway.  I was dressed in my street clothes but had no laces in my shoes.  I had just gotten to the hospital that day and was like a deer in the headlights.  

  At a later date I was in a state hospital and went AWOL again.  That time I was gone for about 3 days.  I did know that area well, I had grown up not far from the hospital.  They take runaways very seriously there.  THe hospital is almost right in the middle of town and they put a picture of me on the news and in the paper.  When I got back they didn't do much,  just kept me inside for a few months and posted huge signs around about an AWOL precaution.  That wasn't an uncommon thing to happen there, though.  We had ground cards and were allowed off the wards unsuprevised all the time.  Many people excaped and were never found.

[Suzukipyscho815]

they put a picture of me on the news and in the paper.

Well i see we have a celebrity on the board     Cool story Brooke!

I've seen quite a few institutions in my explorations.  It seems like once a patient is out of the building, it wouldnt be too difficult to slip into the woods or the surrounding comunity.