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State health officials say they are looking at improving procedures at Hawaii State Hospital. Hospital’s ‘hands are tied’
on privacyBy Jaymes K. Song
Star-BulletinBut they won't change their procedures to tell the public about escapes of committed mental patients.But they will continue to report escapes to police.
"In terms of confidentiality, I'm sure it's very frustrating for the community, the public and certainly for the media," said hospital Administrator Wayne Law. "It isn't because we're trying to be obstructionistic or anything like that. It's because we're bound by the same laws that govern patient confidentiality that occurs at Queen's, Castle or any medical institution in the state.
"Even if we wanted to (give information), we cannot -- our hands are tied," Law said.
In a 2 1/2 hour media briefing and tour at the Kaneohe campus, hospital and state Health Department officials noted security measures and programs at the hospital have improved over the past few years.
The briefing came in the wake of two patients who escaped within a week. Johnie Michael Gray was committed for attempting to murder his roommate in 1981, and Benjamin C. Andrion for stabbing his mother to death in 1980. Both have since returned to the hospital.
"We obviously are very aware and concerned with public safety as we are concerned with the individual's safety," Law said.
Angela Meixell, interim provost of Windward Community College, said the school was not told of the two escapes and heard it on the news. The campus is next to the hospital.
"I'd prefer more communication sooner," she said. "If I was informed, based on the information, I could make an appropriate decision."
But Meixell added that the school and the hospital have had an excellent working relationship and that she has a "great deal of faith" in the hospital's system. Law added there have been no "incidents" that have occurred as a result of a person escaping from the hospital, and most escapees return within a day or two.
"They expect people here are ax murderers who are just waiting, drooling, to get out to kill someone. That's not how it is," he said.
When a patient is missing or "elopes" from the hospital, the buildings and the grounds are searched. After an hour of searching, police are notified of the missing patient and an internal investigation is launched. The police inform the public of the escape if they think that is warranted
If any misconduct or negligence is discovered, the case will be forwarded to the state attorney general's office. Law would not say whether Gray or Andrion's escapes have been forwarded to the attorney general's office.
Health Director Bruce Anderson said conditions have improved tremendously since the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the hospital about 10 years ago, which cited poor conditions and lack of services. The hospital has since gained national and regional accreditation.