Senator Sam Slom Appointed to Special Investigative Committee

Employees at the Hawaii State Hospital recently testified about alleged wrongdoings before a joint Health and Judiciary/Labor committee hearing.

by Lisa Davidson, Senate Minority Blog, February 10, 2014

On February 7, 2014, Senate President Donna Mercado Kim appointed Senator Sam Slom to the Special Investigative Committee examining allegations of administrative abuses and an ongoing failure to provide a safe work environment at the Hawaii State Hospital.

Other committee members include Co-Chairs Senator Clayton Hee and Senator Josh Green, Senator Rosalyn Baker, and Senator Maile Shimabukuro.

During received testimony by the Committee on Health, there have been multiple allegations of nepotism in hiring practices at the Hospital, inadequate admissions paperwork when potentially violent prisoners are processed as new patients, and a dangerous lack of timely psychiatric evaluations due to staff shortages. Current and former employees described being beaten, attacked, punched in the head, and stalked, among other safety violations.

In a related issue, many employees have asked for a new forensic facility in Hawaii that can handle long-term patient stays for persons with greater psychiatric needs.

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