Harbor Oaks Hospital, a New Baltimore, Michigan, psychiatric hospital, is currently facing a series of shocking sexual and physical abuse allegations. The allegations are a serious concern for patient safety and generally how mental health hospitals operate. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of any form of sexual abuse, talk to the skilled legal team at File Abuse Lawsuit to learn more about how you can pursue justice. Let’s take a closer look at the allegations against Harbor Oaks and the legal consequences that followed.

Sexual Allegations and Incidents at Harbor Oaks

The reported incidents at Harbor Oaks Hospital show a pattern of poor supervision, staff neglect, and failure to protect vulnerable patients.​ Here are some scary allegations that have come to light: 

2015 Incident Involving a Minor with Bipolar Disorder

In October 2015, an adolescent patient suffering from bipolar disorder was physically and sexually assaulted by another patient. The patient was violently attacked on their first day at the hospital and needed emergency medical treatment. 

After getting emergency attention and returning to the hospital, their 44-year-old roommate, who suffered from a developmental disability, raped the patient. According to the patient’s family, this incident severely affected the victim’s mental health. 

2020 Lawsuit by Former Male Patient

In 2020, a former patient sued Harbor Oaks because the hospital administration and attending physician were negligent in allowing another patient to sexually assault the victim in June 2018. At the time of the assault, the survivor was only 17 years old. 

The hospital had knowingly placed the patient in danger of being victimized by someone with a violent background. According to the claim and reports, the attacker attempted to force the victim to perform oral sex. After refusing, the attacker tied the victim up and then proceeded to molest them for ten minutes. The perpetrator later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.​

2020 Decision by Macomb County Authorities

In 2020, authorities in Macomb County stopped sending clients with mental health issues to Harbor Oaks Hospital. This was after investigations and reports showed how bad and rampant physical abuse was within the hospital. The hospital was criticized for failing to provide quality control or evidence of improved services.​

Other Incidences of Misconduct

Besides these sexual abuse incidents, Harbor Oaks Hospital has had numerous and recurrent violations, including:​

• Failure to provide adequate therapy to patients.​
• Inadequate training and supervision of staff.​
• Insufficient background checks on staff, which has led to hiring personnel not fit to care for vulnerable patients.​

An investigation that was done in 2017 for four months showed extreme understaffing at Harbor Oaks Hospital. According to a nurse, the lack of enough staff has allowed abuse to continue. Former employees even reported that the hospital consistently ignored their pleas for more staff, which contributed to the dangerous environment for patients.

Legal Consequences 

The allegations against Harbor Oaks led to multiple lawsuits. Harbor Oaks’ corporate owner, Acadia Healthcare, faces significant financial penalties. 

In 2019, Acadia settled a case for close to $20 million after the Department of Justice determined that the company had violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to Medicaid and Medicare. The settlement revealed the company’s role in substandard care.

Despite these settlements, we all know that compensation alone is not enough to forget the trauma patients suffered. 

Conclusion

The allegations against Harbor Oaks Hospital show a failure to protect vulnerable individuals in the hospital’s care. These are not just isolated events but an indication of a major problem within the mental health system. Both private and public mental health hospitals must take immediate action to address these failures and assure safer environments for all patients.

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