News 05.17.18
17 May 2018 News
Wisconsin prosecutors are investigating the death of a mental hospital patient who waited more than 14 hours to be taken to an emergency room after suffering a fall that left him unresponsive. Winnebago County District Attorney Christian Gossett says a prosecutor is reviewing the findings of a police investigation before deciding whether any charges are merited. State inspectors say the patient fell at 10 a.m. on Oct. 15 and became unresponsive, but it wasn’t until after midnight that he was taken to an emergency room. He was diagnosed with a brain bleed and died weeks later. The investigation comes at a time when the Winnebago Mental Health Institute is at risk of losing federal funds because of safety concerns raised by state and federal investigators. The Winnebago hospital serves about 180 patients, most of them adults, who have been ordered by courts around the state to receive treatment. In February, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ordered a safety review of the facility and found staffing shortages and that the hospital could not “ensure a safe environment for the patients.” The February investigation found that the hospital did not screen a patient’s suicide risk before the patient was discharged. The patient was readmitted three days later. The hospital is working to correct the shortcomings CMS found and the federal agency will conduct an announced survey before July to review their progress. The threat of losing federal funds will be lifted if the hospital is complying with all standards of care.
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A Wisconsin man is sentenced to 100 years in prison for his role in a standoff at a motorcycle shop that led to the death of one of his hostages. A jury in March found Brian Flatoff guilty of 14 felonies, including attempted homicide. Jurors rejected his insanity defense, determining he did not suffer from a mental disease or defect during the December 2015 standoff with police at Eagle Nation Cycles in Neenah. Authorities say Flatoff shot at officers and initiated the sequence of events that led to the death of 60-year-old hostage Michael Funk. Police mistakenly shot Funk during the standoff. Officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing. A judge sentenced the 48-year-old Flatoff Wednesday to a 100-year term. Flatoff says he’ll appeal his conviction.
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A new report shows doctors are issuing fewer opioid prescriptions. The state Department of Safety and Professional Services released a report Wednesday from the Controlled Substances Board. The report examines data compiled through the state’s prescription drug monitoring program. The report noted 1,109,174 opioid prescriptions were issued during the first quarter of 2017. That number dropped to 953,656 prescriptions in the fourth quarter of the year, a decrease of 14 percent. Doctors issued 910,616 prescriptions during the first quarter of this year, down 4.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2017. Hydrocodone-acetaminophen, tramadol and oxycodone, all opioids, were the top three most dispensed drugs in the first quarter of the year, just as they were in the fourth quarter of 2017.
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AAA is projecting the biggest start to the summer vacation season in over a decade. Wisconsin AAA spokesman Nick Jarmuscz says Americans will kick off the season by traveling in near record numbers this Memorial Day holiday. Nearly 42 million Americans will travel during the weekend, up five percent over last year. Jarmuscz says higher gas prices will not be enough to keep travelers home during the holiday weekend. AAA expects an additional two million people will take to other modes of transportation including planes, trains and buses. The busiest travel days are expected to be Thursday and Friday, May 24 and 25.
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