Riverside County To Overhaul Sexual Abuse Unit at Hospital
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to make changes to the county's hospital unit for sexual abuse victims, the Los Angeles Times reports. The action follows a recent grand jury report finding problems at Riverside County Regional Medical Center's sexual abuse unit that contributed to the dismissal of at least two criminal cases (Enriquez, Los Angeles Times, 6/15).
The grand jury investigation found "widespread" problems, including unqualified nurses who missed "crucial" evidence during investigations, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. An outside expert who reviewed 64 randomly selected patient charts identified "significant" problems in how evidence of sexual abuse was collected, according to the Press-Enterprise.
The cases involved adults and children who were sexually assaulted (O'Neill Hill/Trone, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 6/14).
The supervisors agreed to:
- Hire specially trained physicians and staff;
- Keep the unit open at all hours;
- Restore a program for abused and neglected children; and
- Provide an additional $1.7 million to ensure that reforms are implemented.
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.