No statewide policy for notifying families, friends, loved ones when a patient has a medical emergency or death;
It is against policy for a patient’s designated emergency contact to call the DSH facility during non-weekly business hours to find out a patient’s state of health/life status. Such individuals are told to call back and speak to the patient’s social worker during weekday business hours only. This policy has caused hundreds of families and loved ones unspeakable trauma pain and suffering not knowing if the patients they care about is alive or dead, as they are held in suspense waiting several days for the patient’s specific social worker to come back to work and answer their phone.