(WXYZ) — For the last year, the 7 Investigators have been exposing allegations of civil rights abuses and other serious problems inside a local psychiatric hospital.
The feds announced late last year that they were terminating their Medicaid contract with Pontiac General Hospital, but the 7 Investigators have now learned that the hospital is trying to stay open despite that major funding loss.
And that has some former employees upset.
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Recipient rights officers are the people inside a psychiatric hospital who are there to protect patients’ rights by investigating abuse and neglect. And now two of the former recipient rights officials from Pontiac General Hospital have come forward to us with allegations of serious problems inside the hospital.
A patient allegedly assaulted by a mental health worker inside his room, another patient tied down in restraints while being given a shot, bruises on patients, staff sitting on developmentally disabled patients, and staff sleeping on the job — those are just some of the allegations two of the people who were once in charge of investigating patient complaints say have been serious problems for years inside Pontiac General Hospital.
"Out of a five-star hospital. I wouldn't even give them a one star ... it was sad and disgusting," said Valerie Linteau, a former recipient rights officer.
The 7 Investigators have been investigating Michigan’s psychiatric commitment process as well as Pontiac General Hospital since 2022. Patients allege their civil rights were violated inside the privately owned psychiatric hospital.
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"It was a nightmare for me. It was a nightmare for my family," said Bri Jackson, a former patient who says she was hospitalized against her will.
In November, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) told Pontiac General they were terminating their contract due to noncompliance with several things, including patient rights and medical staff. That means the hospital can no longer bill Medicare or Medicaid.
"I'm happy that the spotlight is on them and there are going to be consequences and they can stop doing what they're doing to people," said Jackson.
But records obtained by the 7 Investigators show that Pontiac General’s leadership believed their CMS termination would be “temporary.” And mental health watchdogs say they were told the psychiatric facility is also attempting to get accreditation from The Joint Commission, a nonprofit that evaluates hospitals for safety and cleanliness.
"I've heard patients say that they were more suicidal leaving the hospital than they were even going into the hospital to begin with, and that their symptoms were much worse leaving the hospital," said Linteau.
Hospital records show Valerie Linteau was Pontiac General’s Recipient Rights Officer from June of 2023 until January 2024.
Hospital emails say Linteau was fired for using her personal phone to conduct work and she was accused of deleting files — but she alleges she was actually terminated for alerting the state about the conditions inside the psychiatric facility.
"I liked feeling like I was someone's hope, or trying to be that person who they felt that they were heard and they were listened to," said Linteau.
Photos taken in 2023
As Recipient Rights Officer, Linteau says she often had to investigate allegations of staff assaulting the psychiatric patients.
In a video from December of 2023, a staff member appears to draw his arm back as if to punch a patient lying on a bed.
"What was your reaction when you saw that video?" I asked Linteau.
"I had a stomach-sinking experience. I thought I was going to vomit. I got chills and goosebumps and I physically cried because it is devastating seeing that," she said.
Linteau said the patient’s records reveal that an X-ray showed a small skull fracture, and police reports show sheriff’s deputies interviewed the patient who said the employee “hit and punched him.” The employee denied that in the police report, but Linteau says the patient was badly injured.
LISTEN: 911 call from Pontiac General Hospital
"So when CMS came for the patient with the reported skull fracture, I had informed them that we had over 150 investigations from the months of April to June," said Linteau.
Linteau also said she substantiated another patient’s allegations of abuse after discovering he had been shoved into an isolation room. She said that’s the same patient that was given a shot while in 4-point restraints — something mental health advocates do not condone.
“You’re supposed to use the least amount of force necessary," said Simon Zagata, the Director of the Community and Institutional Rights Team with Disability Rights Michigan, a federally designated rights agency.
Zagata said many shots are considered chemical restraints and should be used rarely.
“Once the restraint happens, under the law, it’s supposed to end as soon as the conditions or the behavior leading to the restraint are gone," he said.
Darius Hardrick said he too was drowning in patient complaints at Pontiac General Hospital, when he was the Recipient Rights Officer from January to July of 2023.
"Actual physical abuse. I've seen patients getting beat on," said Hardrick.
He said the number of complaints was too much for one person.
"They would just ignore me, ignore me, ignore me," said Hardrick. "Seven or more complaints per floor ... per day"
Hardrick said he left because he met so many obstacles from hospital management.
"They would just railroad me and try to take over the investigation," he said.
According to the most recent available state data, in 2023 Pontiac General had 235 allegations of abuse and neglect. Of those allegations, 148 recipient rights cases were investigated, and 57 were substantiated.
CMS reports show investigators found more examples of abuse and neglect when they started inspecting the hospital last spring, uncovering the death of patient Ryan White, and other serious violations of patient safety.
"The complaints we got before we went in were, we are not getting real therapy. They’re not helping address the issues I came in here for ... a lot of facility issues, like a broken window ... holes in the walls," said Zagata.
Disability Rights Michigan has visited the hospital several times recently. After CMS terminated Pontiac General’s contracts, Zagata’s team was onsite, where they noticed the hospital’s physical environment had improved, but there were only four patients still inside. Zagata said that’s when his team learned the hospital is seeking accreditation through The Joint Commission.
"Showing that you can adequately care for four patients is a completely different ball game than showing that you can take care of 100+ patients at a time in an inpatient setting ... we have just not seen a history of an ability to treat patients well," he said.
Both Linteau and Hardrick say they’re extremely concerned the hospital will be granted accreditation, and both say they do not think the facility should get its Medicaid contracts reinstated.
"I am very surprised to see it’s still operating," said Hardrick.
"It was atrocious and it was very disheartening to see everything that was going on in the hospital," said Linteau.
The 7 Investigators have reached out several times to the owners of Pontiac General Hospital. So far, they have not responded to our mulitple requests for comment.
As for the Joint Commission, they issued the following statement:
"Pontiac General Hospital is not a Joint Commission-accredited facility.
We do not comment on whether a healthcare organization is or is not seeking Joint Commission accreditation, as that information is confidential.
Any healthcare organization that seeks Joint Commission accreditation must first meet compliance with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) Conditions of Participation (CoPs) and provide care, treatment and services in accordance with licensure requirements, laws, rules and regulations. They must also meet additional Joint Commission standards, which focus on important processes and organization functions essential to providing safe and quality care.
To find a Joint Commission-accredited organization, visit our website. [jointcommission.org]"
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