VA Orders Probe of Suicides in Long Beach : Hospital: Decision to investigate represents reversal of earlier statement that five deaths were not unusual.

High-ranking officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs have ordered an investigation of the psychiatric unit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach, where four patients committed suicide in 13 months and a fifth took his life after he was allegedly granted an early release, the department said Tuesday.

A team of physicians and other experts is being assembled to examine the five deaths, two of which occurred in a locked psychiatric ward designed to keep even the most unstable patients safe from harm, department spokeswoman Donna St. John said from Washington.

Three of the patients hanged themselves, one jumped off a hospital roof and one shot himself in the mouth shortly after doctors allegedly granted him an early release.

The number of suicides that occurred at the Long Beach hospital in 13 months equals the total number of suicides recorded by California health officials in all five state-run mental hospitals in 1987 and 1988.

Hospital records and interviews with nurses suggested supervision of patients was lax. In one case, staff members failed to take away the shoelaces of a suicidal man who ultimately used them to hang himself. Records showed the staff lost track of other patients--such as the man who leaped to his death--who were supposed to be on constant watch.

“At this point we don’t have reason to believe there is a problem, but with all the attention that has focused on the unit and the concerns the public might have, the decision was made that an independent team should go out,” St. John said.

The decision represents a reversal of an earlier statement by the Office of the Inspector General--the VA’s investigative arm--that said five deaths were not cause for concern considering the Long Beach hospital’s patient load.

The investigation was ordered by acting Deputy Secretary Anthony Principi, the second-in-command of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, which operates 172 hospitals nationwide, St. John said. Principi conferred with several top administrators this week before calling for an inquiry.

Auditors were scheduled to begin as early as next week to examine the medical records of the five men, interview the staff and determine whether proper procedures were followed. She said the team could include psychiatrists from other VA hospitals and independent experts outside of the VA system.

The hospital’s 30-bed locked ward, which houses suicidal, homicidal, violent and gravely disabled patients, was temporarily shut down Friday by administrators who cited a shortage of skilled staff, the need for retraining and necessary renovations.

Dean Stordahl, director of the Long Beach hospital, said the suicides were a “factor” in the decision to close the ward until July 1. Previously, the hospital had said the two were not related.

“Any suicide in the hospital would be of concern to us, and we have had them thoroughly investigated--each of them,” Stordahl said. “Yes, we’re concerned.”

Hospital spokesperson Gabriel Perez said retraining of the locked ward’s team of doctors, nurses and social workers has already begun.