Bradenton psychiatric facility allowed 55 violent attacks against staff, federal judge rules
A federal judge has found that a Bradenton psychiatric facility and its management company were responsible for exposing workers to at least 55 acts of violence in which patients kicked, punched, bit, scratched, pulled, and used desk scissors as a weapon during a 2 1/2-year period.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration began investigating the violence at Suncoast Behavioral Health Center, 4480 51st St. W., Bradenton, in 2017 after a patient jumped over a nurse’s station and stabbed an employee at the psychiatric facility with a pair of scissors, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Premier Behavioral Health Solutions of Florida Inc., which operates as Suncoast Behavioral Health Center in Bradenton, and its management company UHS of Delaware Inc. were both found responsible for failing to protect staff from the violence.
In a 170-page court ruling, U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge Dennis Phillips found the companies liable and responsible for allowing at least 55 violent attacks against workers between January 2016 and July 2018. During a 13-day hearing held partially April and partially in August 2019, 15 employees who work in direct contact with patients testified about their experiences during the attacks.
The U.S. Labor Department announced the ruling this month.
Suncoast Behavioral Health Center’s CEO Brandy Hamilton did not return a call seeking comment. She instead emailed a one-sentence statement: “We plan to appeal.”
Both companies also “showed bad faith” in allowing surveillance video that captured some of the violence to be destroyed, Judge Phillips ruled.
“Violence, particularly against healthcare workers, is a leading cause of injury in the workplace. The U.S. Department of Labor will pursue all available legal actions to hold employers accountable and ensure they take all feasible steps to keep employees safe,” Regional Solicitor Tremelle Howard said in a statement.
Suncoast Behavioral Health Center is a 60-bed licensed psychiatric hospital that provides inpatient and outpatient treatment for emotional and behavioral issues. UHS manages more than 300 behavioral health facilities across the country, including Suncoast.
Judge Phillips ultimately fined both companies $12,934. In addition to the fine, the judge ordered them pay $9,600 in attorney’s fees as a sanction for their bad-faith destruction of video surveillance evidence.
Phillips also suggested UHS and Suncoast to put into place better preventative measures to lessen the threat of patient-on-staff violence, finding existing measures were woefully inadequate. His suggestions included:
- Developing and implementing a comprehensive workplace violence program.
- Hiring staff with specialized training in security to be available on all shifts and on all units for the sole purpose of monitoring patients and responding to acts of patient aggression.
- Performing practice drills on how to respond to acts of patient aggression, and re-configuring the nurse’s station so patients are not able to jump over or into it.
This story was originally published May 7, 2021 at 4:34 PM.
