A 94-year-old man who was a long-term patient at the state-run Hopemont Hospital in Terra Alta, West Virginia, died after being left unattended in a whirlpool bath for 47 minutes. The man, who required around-the-clock care, was left in the bath with water temperatures reaching around 134 degrees Fahrenheit, which is above the standard maximum of 100 degrees.
The incident, which occurred on January 4, 2024, led to the firing of four hospital staff members, including three contract nurses.
The scalding water resulted from a malfunctioning thermostat on a water tank servicing one of the residential units at the facility. The West Virginia Department of Health Facilities (DHF) first reported the incident on January 5, stating that a resident had been treated for burns due to equipment failure. However, the consequences were far more severe than initially understood, as Disability Rights of West Virginia (DRWV) revealed the victim’s injuries led to his death.
Mike Folio, legal director for DRWV, described the harrowing details of the incident, noting the victim’s skin was reported to have melted off due to the excessive water temperature. Folio highlighted that the hospital staff had been warned of the potential danger, as an internal email sent about 30 days before the incident raised concerns about the risk of burns from the hot water. Folio added, “The man’s death occurred because a necessary repair, costing $250, was neglected. Consider an elderly, nonverbal individual with dementia left alone in excessively hot water. If he had cried out from the pain, no one would have heard, as he was unable to speak.”
This negligence has led to the dismissal of four nurses related to the case, including both contracted staff members and state-employed nurses. The DHF, in response to the incident, has said it has provided additional staff training and undertaken necessary repairs to the hot water system to prevent such occurrences in the future.
The state of West Virginia and the DHF face the challenge of addressing systemic issues in the healthcare system to ensure the safety and well-being of all patients in their care.