Johnstown Heights (Colo.) Behavioral Health may see a renewed police investigation into the November death of one of its patients, ABC affiliate Denver7 reported May 18.
Christopher Dickson, a 39-year-old father, voluntarily admitted himself into the facility on Nov. 11 for alcohol detox, the report said. He died two days later, in what Coroner Stephen Hanks ruled an accident — since national standards don't include "negligence" as a manner of death, Mr. Hanks said.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials issued Johnstown Heights Behavioral Health an "immediate jeopardy" designation, the state's most serious for a mental health hospital, the report said. The state cited at least 10 deficiencies in its 50-page report.
Previous reports cited patients, speaking on the condition of anonymity, who said they were pressured to sign documents allowing them to stay longer. The patients also said they were given medication they were told would allow them to leave sooner, only to later be told they needed to stay longer for monitoring.
Current and former Johnstown Heights staff members said some patients were given medications despite not being seen by a provider, the report said.