The Dallas VA Medical Center has decided to close its
psychiatric wing after a fourth mentally ill patient committed suicide this
year.
The suicide happened on April 4, when a man fastened a bed
sheet to the bottom corner of a doorframe, draped a noose over the top, and
hanged himself.
The first two suicides happened in January when two men who
met in the hospital’s psychiatric ward committed suicide days after being
released. A veteran who hanged himself on a frame attached to his wheelchair
followed them shortly.
Joseph Dalpiaz, director of the VA North Texas Health Care
System decided he wanted “to give us some time to asses the environment of care
and make sure things were as safe as possible in our patient unit. It's a
horrible tragedy and it may not have been preventable, but we wanted to look
again to see if anything can be done to increase safety,” said Dr. Catherine
Orsak, head of mental health for the VA's
Dr. Orsak said the hospital has spent more than $250,000 the
past six months to eliminate suicide risks. She also added the hospital has
increased staffing and checks to ensure their safety.
On the other hand, Shirley Bemps blames doctors for her
husband’s suicide, saying that if her husband “was a high-risk patient like
they said, he should have been watched and monitored. They haven't called me to
offer condolences. They won't even respond to me. I just feel cheated.”
Dr. Orsak said she did not know when the psychiatric ward
would open its doors for patients again. Meanwhile, veterans are being treated
at government hospitals in