Patient Abuse by Healthcare Professionals

If you or a loved one have been abused by a health care provider or at a health care facility, a crime victim attorney can help you identify possible claims.

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Behavioral Health Facility Abuse

Behavioral health facilities provide treatment to children, adolescents, and adults with emotional and behavioral disorders. These facilities often provide inpatient treatment and are responsible for the safety of those they serve. Tragically, abuse at behavioral health facilities occurs more than most people realize.

Instead of being protected, vulnerable patients are left to be victimized by depraved staff and unsupervised patients. This should never happen. But it has become all too common for greedy organizations to cut corners by hiring unqualified staff, failing to provide enough staff, failing to properly train and supervise staff, and ignoring rules and regulations designed to prevent abuse.

If you or a family member have been victimized at a behavioral health facility, you should contact a lawyer with experience representing health care provider abuse victims. The Crime Victim Law Group of Deitch + Rogers, LLC has that experience. Most recently, we obtained a $60 million verdict on behalf of a 15-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by a staff member at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health.

Health Care Provider Sexual Abuse

The issue of sexual abuse by health care providers is finally getting the attention it deserves.

You trust your health care provider for advice and treatment in times of need for you and your loved ones. Sexual abuse is and should be the last thing you expect at their office. Nevertheless, the health care industry has an enduring history of doctors abusing their patients’ trust and preying on them sexually.

While these incidents have traditionally been swept under the rug and ignored by the medical establishment, the public is now more aware of the problem. And the civil justice system can be used to hold health care providers, and the facilities where they perpetrate abuse, pay for the damage caused by their conduct. The experienced attorneys at Deitch + Rogers can help you or a loved one pursue the compensation you deserve for doctor sexual abuse.

Health Care Provider Abuse 

Sexual abuse by a health care provider can occur during a routine checkup, during an examination for a specific issue, or even postoperatively while the victim is emerging from anesthesia or sedation and is least able to protect themselves.

If you feel you have been a health care provider sexual abuse victim, you should adhere to the following steps:

  • Go to a safe place
  • Avoid showering or bathing
  • Avoid changing your clothes
  • Do not brush your teeth
  • Call your local police department to report the physical assault
  • Seek immediate medical attention
  • Contact the State medical or other licensing board, as these agencies may take disciplinary action
  • Contact organizations for survivors of institutional sexual abuse or rape crisis centers like The National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-4673)
  • Reach out to the hospital or clinic to investigate complaints of misconduct

If you or a loved one have been the victim of health care provider abuse, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our experienced attorneys can help you obtain the compensation you deserve to aid in your recovery and help you reclaim your life.

What Is Patient Abuse?

The right to a safe and professional environment in a healthcare setting goes hand in hand with the right to receive professional care from conscientious staff.

Unfortunately, healthcare providers sometimes abuse patients for a variety of reasons and in a variety of ways. Patient abuse is a type of maltreatment that is directed at people who are in the care of medical professionals.

Although there are many forms of maltreatment in healthcare settings, at Deitch + Rogers our crime victim attorneys focus on helping patients who have been victims to violence (often sexual violence) within a healthcare facility.

 

In addition to hospitals, health care provider abuse can occur at the dentist, dermatologist, physical therapist, massage therapist, or anywhere you go for health care treatment. It can be perpetrated by doctors, dentists, nurses, physician’s assistants, dental assistants, therapists, or anyone who has access to vulnerable patients.

Effects of Patient Abuse in Healthcare Facilities

Patient abuse in healthcare facilities is a major problem that has serious consequences for the patient, the abuser, and the facility. Patients who have suffered abuse at the hands of healthcare workers often suffer from:

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Insomnia

These symptoms can be long-lasting and debilitating, and victims may need assistance in order to move on. Contact Deitch + Rogers for help today.

See how we can help today.

Please call (770) 394-9000 to schedule a free initial consultation, or contact our lawyers directly through the email form.



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