psychiatric hospital

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital is under a "critical safety situation" after inspectors discovered problems with the sprawling facility's fire response system. To ensure that Western State Hospital patients are safe state officials have implemented a "fire watch" program that involves staff looking for "evidence of smoke and fire in all areas

SEATTLE (AP) — Inspectors who visited Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital found that safety problems that thrust the facility into the national spotlight after the escape of two dangerous patients a year ago persist, including neglected patients...

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington Governor Jay Inslee said he's encouraged by the changes that have been made to ensure the state's largest psychiatric hospital is safer for both patients and staff. After touring Western State Hospital on Tuesday, he said increases in staffing have benefited patients and he hopes to get the budget resources to keep that work going...

SEATTLE (AP) — State and federal health regulators and a police department have launched an investigation at Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital after unauthorized photos of a patient were found on an employee's personal phone...

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital has revised its policies for notifying the police when a patient goes missing or escapes from the facility. Thursday's announcement comes after the release of a scathing report from a corrections team that reviewed Western State Hospital's handling of the April escape of two violent patients. ...

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — State officials say they will ask a judge to block a contempt ruling that ordered the new CEO of the state's largest psychiatric hospital to admit a patient or go to jail. Gov. Jay Inslee's spokeswoman Jaime Smith says the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is preparing to ask a judge to stay Friday's order that Western State CEO Cheryl Strange report to ja

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A man who escaped from a psychiatric hospital in western Washington will be sent to a federal mental facility for a competency evaluation. U.S. District Court Judge Edward Shea on Thursday ordered that 28-year-old Anthony Garver be sent to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility to determine if he can understand the charges against him...

LAKEWOOD, Wash. (AP) — Law enforcement officials say a man who escaped from a psychiatric hospital in western Washington has been spotted in the Spokane area. The Spokesman-Review reports authorities are searching for Anthony Garver in a heavily-wooded area in Spokane's East Valley using a SWAT team, police dogs and helicopters...

SEATTLE (AP) — Federal regulators issued an "immediate jeopardy" notice at Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital after a patient was given the wrong medication. An immediate jeopardy is defined as a crisis situation in which the health and safety of people at the hospital are at risk. Ins...

    SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — State Department of Health officials have approved the construction of a 100-bed psychiatric hospital in Spokane. The Spokesman-Review reports the new hospital is a joint venture between Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital in Spokane and Fairfax Behavioral Health, which operates psychiatric and chemical dependency facilities in western Washington. The f...