2 • BENNETT BANNER 'APRIL 24, 1998
OPINION • OPINION • OPINION ‘OPINION ‘OPINION
Paquita
Herring
Charter should lose
its license
The death last month of 16-year-old Tristian Sovem could
cost the local Charter Behavioral Health facility its license and as
much as $6 million per year in federal money.
Sovem died when Charter staffers covered his mouth with a large
towel and bed sheet to stop his screaming. During the struggle his
body went limp and workers soon realized that he
wasn’t breathing, and they tried to resuscitate
him.
Whether the hospital should lose its
license should depend on whether the method used in restraining
Sovem is a common practice at the institution. Charter was cited
for noncompliance with licensing regulations regarding the use of
restraints and for repeatedly using mouth coverings to restrain
patients. So, if this is common practice. Charter should have its
license revoked because that means staffers are not aware of all of
the risks and effects of restraining a patient.
What also needs to be considered is if Charter is closed
down then there will be not many other places in Greensboro for
people to receive mental health treatment.
Charter’s slogan is "If you don’t get help with us please get
help somewhere.” My response is “What good is the treatment if
you are being mistreated?”
The opinion expressed in this column is that of the author and does not
necessarily reflect the opinion of the Bennett Banner staff.
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Student Oninion Poll:
Should the local Charter Behavioral
Health facility lose its license?
Photographs by Ronda Stingley.
KATHRYN EARLEY
CLASS: FRESHWOMAN
MAJOR: BIOLOGY
HOME STATE; OHIO
I do not believe that Charter's
license should be taken away
because of the number of people
that institution has helped in the
past. But they should suffer some
consequence.
ONDRIA TAYLOR
CLASS: FRESHWOMAN
MAJOR: POLI SCI
HOME STATE: NEW JERSEY
Institutions which were made to
help have been harming people
and getting away with it for
years. I do not feel that Charter
should lose its license for a
mistake made by a few careless
individuals. I do think that the
individual involved should be
charged with accidental murder.
LATASHA M. GRESHAM
CLASS: SOPHOMORE
MAJOR: DIETETICS
HOME STATE: MARYLAND
Yes. Someone was suffocated
while under Charter's supervi
sion.
CANDACE TAYLOR
CLASS; SENIOR
MAJOR; ENGLISH
HOME STATE: OHIO
Charter of Greensboro should
lose its license because in all of
my training in restraints. I've
never heard of "gagging" a
patient to keep him under
control. It does not take a genius
to understand something isn't
right.
KELLI ANDERSON
CLASS: FRESHWOMAN
MAJOR: UNDECIDED
HOME STATE: WASH. D.C
The parents are responsible for
putting their son in Charter. If
the parents would have been
paying more attention to the
facility workers then the situation
would not have gotten out of
hand.
JACOLE L. LEWIS
CLASS; FRESHWOMAN
MAJOR: COMP. SCI
HOME STATE: DENVER
Charter's license should be
taken away because there are
several different ways to
restrain people other than
putting a towel over their
mouth. Charter should have
used a safer type of restraint.