“Repeat noncompliance at this level of severity is troubling,” said a state health official who is exploring options for what to do about hospitals with repeat problems.

Even as health officials debate what to do next, Holly Hill is expanding. More on that — coming Thursday.

The hospital CEO says these are "sporadic incidents that required the creation of action plans to address deficiencies."

Despite these correction plans, regulators continued to find some of the same issues at Holly Hill — year after year.

State records detail years of serious shortcomings at Holly Hill including:
patient escapes
sexual and physical assault allegations
missing treatment plans
medication errors
contraband on patients
issues in medical charts
unsafe patient discharges
unsanitary living conditions

Read the two-part investigation and the story on the U.S. Senate committee's report on UHS.
Pt 1: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2024/05/06/f...
Pt. 2: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2024/05/07/f...
Senate report: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2024/06/27/u...

My investigation added to the larger narrative building around Brynn Marr's parent company, Universal Health Services, which has a reputation for prioritizing profits over patient care and has faced federal scrutiny & substantial fines. My reporting was also cited in a U.S. Senate committee report.

Through extensive interview with former Brynn Marr employees and patients, I was able to document a litany of concerns, including fights, sexual assaults, untrained staff, overmedication leading to emergency room visits, and widespread falsification of patient records and insurance manipulation.

The crisis services are free to all patients. So Medicaid is covering it as a benefit (but GOP-led Congress could cut Medicaid funds)

Then state dollars pay for those without insurance and those WITH private insurance. (now the state senate wants to claw back some crisis funds)

Let's talk about funding for these.

The state got the bulk of the money to establish the expanded crisis services through the Medicaid expansion sign-on bonus delivered by the Biden Administration.

Private insurers say they don't have to cover the crisis centers...

The NC senate's budget plan also cuts funds that state-run psychiatric hospitals use to hire contract workers to fill vacancies because they have such a difficult time recruiting full-time workers. This could impact the psychiatric hospitals' future abilities to take as many patients. #ncpol