University Police are investigating a report that two patients used heroin and had sex while checked into the psychiatric unit of the University Medical Center last week.
A female patient reported to police July 24 that she and a male patient had sex in the laundry room and injected heroin in her bathroom at the hospital, University Police Captain Michael Coleman said.
Earlier that week, Medical Center employees suspected illegal drug use by the same male patient and he consented to a search of his room. The staff found and confiscated a syringe, pieces of wood, a plastic spoon and a broken light bulb from the patient's room. When the police began investigating the female patient's allegations, Medical Center staff turned over the confiscated paraphernalia to police, Medical Center spokeswoman Marguerite Beck said.
In response to the incident, only staff members now can access the laundry room and additional cameras have been added to monitor the common areas and the entranceway to patient's rooms in the psychiatric unit. Patients also are "checked at frequent intervals and that should preclude intimacy," Beck said.
The allegation comes only a few weeks after the Medical Center was taken off "immediate jeopardy" status by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS, the federal agency that administers Medicare, threatened to withhold the Medical Center's Medicare reimbursements if it did not take steps to ensure patient safety in the psychiatric unit.
CMS originally was investigating the Medical Center because three psychiatric ward patients accused hospital employee Rudolph T. Johnson Jr. of rape. Johnson has since been charged with two of the rapes.
The hospital was placed on immediate jeopardy status after a CMS inspection in early June. In response to the immediate jeopardy status, the University took several steps to increase the safety of hospital patients and the status was lifted July 3.
The Medical Center reported the recent allegations to CMS and will be submitting the appropriate written report within the next two weeks, Beck said.
A CMS spokesman said CMS will not take action until the Medical Center sends the report.
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