Raleigh children's hospital staffer says facility set up for failure after numerous patients escape
An anonymous employee believes Holly Hill Hospital is understaffed and faces security concerns that make the facility prone to patients escaping.
Posted — UpdatedThis is after three patients ran away Sunday night and were found in Cary.
Since news circulated about the escapes, WRAL has heard from dozens of people who have ties to the hospital. WRAL Investigates has revealed evidence of multiple escapes dating back to 2021.
One employee believes two factors are to blame. The employee we spoke with has been working at Holly Hill Children's Hospital since 2022.
Their identity has been hidden to protect their employment. They said short staffing and poor security are to blame for the growing number of children who've escaped.
This employee believes the staff is set up for failure.
"Staffing is most definitely the issue," they said. "If we have more staff or more help, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be that hard to keep the kids in their right environments."
They say the only thing stopping a patient from leaving is a badge carried by each employee.
In a statement, Holly Hill Hospital said the facility is staffed appropriately to care for the patients.
"If it wasn't an issue, why are these children escaping? How are they getting out so frequently?" they said.
After Wednesday's report, numerous parents reached out to WRAL News with their concerns about this facility.
"They didn't forewarn us going into visitation that our daughter was injured," said Futrall. "We learned by walking in and seeing knots on her face, bruises, and spots where hair was pulled out... I don't think that they are operating in a safe way, and it is supposed to be a place that is supposed to protect children and tell them. And it is actually harming them more because they aren't following proper procedures that the system is designed for."
Thursday night, parents were thankful their children had been found, but are still looking for accountability.
Previous escapes from Holly Hill
This isn’t the first time patients have escaped from Holly Hill Hospital.
Documents obtained by North Carolina Health News revealed other instances of breached protocols that led to escapes.
Records obtained by North Carolina Health News about the 2021 incident found that the two patients were pretending to play basketball and escaped by climbing a chair placed by the fence of the courtyard during outdoor recreation time. The patients were both considered “at risk” for elopement, but their patient records failed to reflect that, regulators found. According to state records, the two patients escaped while the one staff member in charge was sitting at a picnic table looking at their phone. Hospital policy requires two staff members to be with patients during outdoor time, with one stationed near the exterior fence.
Universal Health Services operates 400 facilities across the United States and the United Kingdom, including 333 behavioral health inpatient facilities like Holly Hill.
WRAL News has reached out to Holly Hill Hospital and Universal Health Services to to request an interview. We have not yet heard back.
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