Posted on: Friday, April 13, 2001

Lawmaker criticizes State Hospital for escapes, crowded conditions

By William Cole
Advertiser Staff Writer

Additional criticism was leveled at the Hawai'i State Hospital yesterday with accusations at a legislative briefing that the closure of an aging building on hospital grounds led to crowding and two escapes by a patient within two weeks.

State Rep. Dennis Arakaki, chairman of the Health Committee, called for the briefing, saying a recent escapes are "deeply troubling and potentially dangerous to both clients and the public."

Health Department Director Bruce Anderson maintained security hasn't been compromised and said greater numbers of patients in fewer housing units is not cause for concern.

"The fact is, there aren't any significant problems we've noticed," he said.

But Arakaki, D-28th (Kalihi Valley, Kamehameha Heights) later said he was not satisfied with the response and suggested re-opening the aging Guensberg building, which housed the 12-bed intake center, as well as two other units, or building another forensics unit.

"In my mind, I still can't see why that facility was closed without any real plan for accommodating the kinds of patients that were in there," he said.

Arakaki also called a rash of "unauthorized leaves" from the Kane'ohe mental health hospital a symptom of crowding.

There were 16 escapes last year, and six escapes between Jan. 1 and April 9.

Hospital officials were questioned about 164 patients being housed in units licensed for 108 with the recent closure of the Guensberg building, lines being drawn in red on the floor to demarcate men's and women's areas and both sexes using the same bathroom facilities.

Arakaki read from a nurse's account that said four remaining units now house twice the patients and staff as before, and Mylar film applied to windows as a safety measure only caused a window to shatter into "thousands of little jagged pieces" when a patient escaped.

Leonard Moore, 35, escaped from the hospital after heaving a table through a window on March 28, police said.

He escaped again when he tossed a television through a window Saturday.

The day before, James Huffman, 38, ran away from the hospital while on a supervised walk, police said. He was later returned to the hospital after being found in the Kahalu'u area.

Although hospital officials said two patients are now living in rooms designed for one, they said there has been no compromise to health or safety.

The hospital is seeking a waiver for the space shortfall — ironically, some noted yesterday — from the Health Department, which oversees the hospital.

The 60- to 70-year-old Guensberg building was renovated about five years ago at a cost of millions, but Anderson said the structure "should have been condemned years ago."

Hospital officials previously said the building contained asbestos and had electrical problems.

"It's an old building that has long outlived its effective lifetime and certainly needs to be replaced," Anderson said.