State Blamed for 3 Deaths at Mental Hospitals

A federally funded watchdog group for the mentally disabled alleged Tuesday that drugs administered by employees at state hospitals in Ventura and San Bernardino counties caused the deaths of three patients.

A report issued by Sacramento-based Protection and Advocacy Inc. charges that state hospital staff gave the three young men possibly lethal combinations of psychiatric drugs and other medications and failed to monitor them properly.

The deaths involved seriously mentally ill men in their 20s. Two occurred at Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino County. The third occurred at Camarillo State Hospital. The deaths had been attributed to natural causes.

“While it may never be definitively determined that the deaths of these three men were caused by the psychiatric drugs . . . there is good reason to believe that it was, in fact, the case,” the report said.

The report asks the Department of Mental Health to investigate the deaths and propose changes in procedure and training for state hospital employees.

Patton and Camarillo officials declined to comment on the report, referring questions to the Mental Health Department.

Department spokeswoman Lauren Wonder, said the department has complied with licensing regulations in each case and plans no investigation. She said the department plans to issue its own report by Friday in response to the group’s findings.

The 28-year-old Camarillo patient died Dec. 26, 1989, while he was locked in his dorm room without supervision for 3 1/2 hours, the report charges. In addition to lithium and Valium, he was given Cogentin, which can cause vomiting, and Thorazine, which can suppress the body’s natural coughing reflex. He suffocated on his own vomit and a piece of Christmas candy, the report said.

The two deaths at Patton involved a 24-year-old patient who collapsed and died after he was given five different medications, and a 21-year-old man who had a fatal heart attack after he was given an injection of the psychiatric drug Haldol, the report said. Those deaths occurred nearly two years ago.