The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that surveyors issued Jefferson Abington Hospital an “immediate jeopardy warning” after determining a security guard used excessive force against a psychiatric patient on April 23.
According to the story, the guard wrestled the patient to the ground and held down their head and neck until a stretcher arrived. Video surveillance footage showed that the patient had been wandering the halls of the hospital’s emergency trauma center and had not displayed aggressive behavior.
Inspectors concluded that the guard used excessive force which drew the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s warning during an inspection on May 16. The immediate jeopardy warning, a sign of life-threatening safety problems, was lifted a day later after hospital administrators submitted a plan to update the hospital’s excessive-force policy and retrain staff, the Inquirer said.
The inspection report does not say what happened to the patient or whether the security guard was disciplined.
“Jefferson Health is committed to providing our community with the highest standard of care,” Damien Woods, a spokesperson for the health system, said in a statement.
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