RALEIGH, N.C. – A 50-year-old psychiatric patient died in April after he was left unattended in a wheelchair for 22 hours. The patient’s death was captured on video surveillance.
On April 29, Steven Sabock choked on medication at Cherry Hospital, while a nurse stood nearby without attempting to assist him.
Video footage displayed several hospital staff watching television and playing cards in the same room as the patient, as he was dying. One staff member was captured hugging and kissing another employee. Additionally, the footage showed technicians sliding Sabock down the hall in a chair when they could not get him to walk to his bed.
A report said Sabock died April 29. He had not eaten anything for three days prior to his death.The hospital is in jeopardy of losing federal funds because of the mishap. Hospital officials have approximately two weeks to develop an improvement plan to keep the funds.
Furthermore, investigators are looking into a case where a physician punched a teenager with developmental disabilities after the patient bit his hand. Investigators said the hospital did not respond properly to the situation.
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