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Mother blames Tampa General for suicide

By Rebecca Catalanello, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, August 13, 2008

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TAMPA — The mother of one of the patients who committed suicide last month at Tampa General Hospital's psychiatric unit considers the hospital responsible for her daughter's death, her attorney said Tuesday.

The 44-year-old woman died July 21, three days after she checked herself into the hospital because she was having suicidal thoughts, according to a Hillsborough County medical examiner's report.

The woman fashioned her bedsheet into a noose and hanged herself from a door. Two days later, another psychiatric patient — a 28-year-old man — did the same thing, dying the following day.

Attorney Michael Trentalange said Tuesday there is little doubt in his client's mind that the hospital failed to do its job on behalf of her daughter.

"She goes to someone who is supposed to protect her — and they don't," Trentalange said. "How many people have to hang themselves before they start taking away bedsheets?"

Tampa General spokesman John Dunn declined to comment Tuesday. On Monday, the hospital released a statement saying it was reviewing its policies regarding its psychiatric unit.

"While we are confident in our safety protocols and procedures, we are reviewing them to determine if there are other steps or policies that can be implemented that go beyond the existing standards to better detect, prevent or deter these types of events in the future," the statement read.

In 1998, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare reviewed 65 inpatient suicides from several states and found that 34 occurred in psychiatric hospitals and 14 in psychiatric units at general hospitals.

In 75 percent of all the cases, the method of suicide was a hanging in a bathroom, bedroom or closet.

Asked if his client plans on suing the hospital, Trentalange said they intend to pursue the matter "through whatever avenues we need to hold TGH accountable."

Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at rcatalanello@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3383.