Napa State Hospital, already facing possible loss...

Napa State Hospital, already facing possible loss of national accreditation, was hit with a suit by four mental patients charging neglect and overdrugging. Attorney Julie Houk of San Francisco filed the suit in U.S. District Court in that city. Fred Wolpert of Saratoga, suing for his son, patient Gary Wolpert, 28, blamed “horrendous doses of medication” for his son’s condition, which he described as “an almost constant trembling of one arm, hands virtually useless, a seizure after a half hour . . . it’s frightening.” He said Gary was in good physical condition when hospitalized in 1982. Napa’s assistant executive director, Sharon Hosler, said she could not comment on the complaints without seeing them. Napa is the only state mental facility certified by the Chicago-based national Joint Committee on Accreditation of Hospitals, which revoked that status after inspectors reported problems with conditions and staffing. The hospital remains accredited pending appeal.