PHOENIX — Those on the inside of Arizona State Hospital describe deteriorating morale after two patients have died by suicide since Oct. 20.
Patients at the Arizona State Hospital require the highest and most restrictive level of care in the state. Patients are committed to the facility by a court order.
Patients like Mark Chavez.
"A thrill-seeker, but he was also a kind person who wanted to give," said Anthony Chavez, Mark's brother.
Mark, a Navy veteran, struggled with mental illness his entire life. For more than a decade, Mark called the Arizona State Hospital his home.
“The reason why I became a nurse is to try to understand him,” Anthony Chavez said.
However, Mark died by suicide last week. Reports obtained by 12 News show Mark attempted suicide three times that day.
“The first thing I noticed was the timeline," Chavez said. "Where was the medication?”
Chavez said his brother was supposed to have a person within arm's length of him at all times. Somehow the rules were not followed, or Mark was able to take his life anyway.
"I know this isn’t the only time it happened to somebody," Anthony Chavez said.
Mark is one of two patients to take their own lives within the hospital since Oct. 20.
"It’s really sad because it can be prevented,” an employee inside the state hospital said.
12 News is concealing the identity of the employee because they're afraid they will lose their job.
"The morale is extremely low," the employee said. "We need help so this doesn’t happen again."
The employee said the hospital is continuously understaffed, forcing care to be cut down or put staff at risk.
"We cant provide treatment, we cant keep them safe from harm or suicides or attacks by other patients if we don’t have adequate staff," the employee said.
In a statement, AZDHS said there are 82 open positions at the 259-bed facility.
However, similar to other healthcare facilities, Arizona State Hospital uses contracted clinical staff to meet staffing needs.
“The committee feels the staffing levels are not up to par,” said Dee Putty, who is part of the independent oversight committee for Arizona State Hospital.
She said the hospital does not attend the oversight meetings because of patient privacy concerns. She said the committee is frustrated by slow progress.
“It’s the same repeat every month. The same concerns are not being addressed,” Putty said.
Putty pointed to a lack of activities for patients, as the pandemic has forced many to stay inside. She said the committee has raised concerns over video cameras that either are not working or appear to be edited after the fact.
In the first suicide back in October, reports obtained by 12 News show security cameras were not working in the area where the incident happened.
"It does seem that frequently that there is a video that is inadequate or not available at all," Putty said, "I think right now we need eyes on what's going on so we can affect the change from the top down."
The hospital employee told 12 News that staffing concerns have created dangerous situations at times.
“When you hear a code and you hear someone screaming for help and you hear that panic in their voice. It’s almost like losing your breath because you don’t know,” the employee said.
Sometimes these codes are called "code gray," which stands for escalating patient behavior. Sometimes they can have positive outcomes.
According to AZDHS, the hospital had 803 such reports in 2021 versus 664 in 2020.
In a statement AZDHS said:
"Patient safety is a high priority for the Arizona State Hospital (ASH). ASH has policies and procedures in place to maintain the safety of the hospital's physical environment and patient care areas. These policies and procedures are consistent with the requirements outlined in state licensing rules, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations, and The Joint Commission standards."
Those like Mark Chavez's family, employees, and those overseeing the hospital want to see more done. They want more action to keep patients healthy and staff safe.
"I feel for the people who didn’t have a family," Anthony Chavez said. "Hopefully, the people who are looking at this closely will quit making excuses and make improvements."
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