The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "mental hospital" ...
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Hospital at Risk
My investigation of the Minnesota Security Hospital, a state-run facility that provides psychiatric treatment to nearly 400 adults deemed "mentally ill and dangerous," uncovered high rates of violence and injuries of employees and patients at the facility, a critical shortage of psychiatrists, and widespread confusion among employees about what to do when a patient becomes violent. I found that much of confusion was the result of the abrasive, threatening management style of head administrator David Proffitt, who was hired in 2011 to reform the facility. I began investigating Proffitt and found he was hired without a basic background check. I uncovered many troubling details from Proffitt's past, including domestic violence, a PhD from a now-defunct online degree mill, a forced resignation from his previous job as the administrator of a private psychiatric hospital in Maine, and other failings. The state ordered Proffitt to resign and the Minnesota legislative auditor began an audit of the department's hiring practices. The assistant commissioner of the Department of Human Services who led the hiring search also resigned. The governor proposed $40 million in renovations to address safety concerns. Regulators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration visited the facility for the first time in 21 years. The facility also implemented new training for employees to reduce violence. My investigation of the facility continues.
Tags: Psychiatrists; domestic violence; injuries
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Rising Violence in California Psychiatric Hospitals
The series of reports verified the claims by staffers at California's psychiatric hospitals that violence had been increasing in recent years. The stories traced the possible reasons for the escalating violence and followed the development of this controversy over the course of the year.
Tags: hospitals; psychiatric; Department of Mental Health; mentally ill; radio
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"Deaths at the State Hospital"
This ongoing investigation reveals major misconduct by the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, the largest public psychiatric hospital in the state. The investigative team exposed and detailed the deaths of four patients that resulted from the "mistakes, lack of training, incompetence and possible criminal neglect" carried out by hospital employees. The series also reveals the attempt of state human services officials to cover up the mistakes.
Tags: mental health; patients; grand jury; DA; Pueblo; Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; database; Pueblo State Hospital; Nexis-Lexis; 441.com; CoCourts.com; Colorado Bureau of Investigation
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Breakdown: Charlotte's Mental Health System Under Stress
The series takes a close look at the mental health system in Charlotte, North Carolina and finds that many psychiatric hospitals turn away patients who threaten themselves and others -- sometimes with disastrous results.
Tags: psychiatric; hospital; mentally ill; mental health system; prescription
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Medicating the Military
The stories looked at the nature and scope of the use of prescription drugs in the military community, with a focus on psychiatric medications and painkillers. The reporting found that use of psychiatric medications has risen dramatically in the past several years and some doctors suggest it may be a factor in the military's suicide epidemic of recent years. Reporters found that many psychiatric drugs - including powerful anti-convulsants and anti-psychotic medications - were being used "off label", or in ways not formally approved by the FDA. Reporters found that many troops were taking up to 10 medications at a time in so-called drug cocktails that experts say are untested and unproven in these combinations. Reporters also found that deaths caused by accidental drug overdoses had tripled during the past several years and that the Army's specialty care units were quietly conducting internal investigations and making significant changes to hospital protocols to reduce risk of accidental deaths. Finally, they found that psychiatric drug usage was also up significantly among military children.
Tags: Military; Army; Veteran; Health; Wellness; Medicine; Drugs; Pain killers; Psychiatric Medication; Mental Health; Suicide; Depression; Military Children; Hospital; Prescription
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"Annie's Ghosts"
Steve Luxenberg had always believed his mother was an only child. Shortly before her death, however, it was revealed that she had a "disabled sister." Once Luxenberg started digging, a multitude of secrets were revealed, including his mother's attempts at hiding her sister's existence. His investigation acknowledges how his aunt and so many others came to live anonymously in mental hospitals for so long.
Tags: imperial Russia; Ukrainian Holocaust; psychiatric hospitals; Detroit; Philippine war
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State of Neglect
The state of Texas, which is one of the nation’s wealthiest states, is faced with low rankings in social benefits. These benefits include “assistance to poor children and the malnourished, treatment of the mentally ill, care of the disabled and many other social indicators”. This series reveals special interests are being heard and are shaping laws and decisions in the state of Texas.
Tags: lawmakers; state government; health care; state health; human services; privatizing; Evercare; hospitals; companies; businesses; lobbyists
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Medical Misadventure: Deaht at the State Hospital
The investigation began with the death of a mental health patient, Josh Garcia. He had checked himself into the hospital and as a result an attorney was appointed to represent him and oversee his treatment. This attorney had strayed away from him and told the court, after his death, that he had agreed to take the medicine. This is false and this medication led to his death. Further, this attorney receives taxpayers’ money for every case through the hospital. As a result, the state is looking into the rights of mental health patients and whether this is a major problem.
Tags: Pueblo State Hospital; involuntary medication; Office of Attorney Regulation; state legislature; legal representation; secrecy
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Undercover Inside Ghana's "Mad House"
A reporter spends seven months undercover in Ghana's major psychiatric hospital. In a series of four stories, he uncovers the "neglect and abuse" of patients by the staff, as well as the purchase and distribution of narcotics within the hospital walls.
Tags: mental; patients; psychiatric; hospital; Burkina
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The Suicide Bed
This investigation "exposes a pattern of cover-ups, altered records, and secrecy surrounding a series of deaths inside a state-run mental hospital."
Tags: suicide; mental illness; hospitals; Anthony Gordon; hospital records