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Crime & Safety

Oakwood Hospital Investigating Allegation of Patient Assault

A patient at the Dearborn hospital said she overheard a nurse "slapping" a 100-year-old woman.

Oakwood officials are investigating allegations of assault after a patient at the Dearborn hospital said she overheard a male nurse “slapping” a woman sharing the room with her.

According to a report on the matter filed with the Dearborn Police Department, a patient was sharing a room with a 100-year-old woman and heard a nurse assisting her roommate around 2 a.m. Sunday. Police say the witness described hearing the nurse say, “Roll over … or I’ll push you,” after which she said she heard a “smacking sound” like a hand striking bare skin.

Her roommate, she said, then replied, “Don’t be so rough … that hurt.”

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The patient who reported the incident said she heard a similar situation unfold around 2 a.m. Monday.

The woman who reported the alleged assault first told another Oakwood employee, identifying the nurse in question, who then informed hospital security.

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Police and another nurse at the hospital—who is the alleged assault victim’s niece—both questioned the 100-year-old woman about the incident. The woman denied having a problem with any of the nurses, and said that she had not been slapped.

Police noted in their report that no clear signs of assault were seen, and that she appeared to have “early signs of dementia.”

No official charges have been filed against the nurse in question, and Dearborn police have left the matter in the hands of Oakwood, for the time being.

Oakwood released a statement on the matter Friday:

We are aware of allegations involving a healthcare worker and a patient at Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center in Dearborn, and we are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. Our patients are our highest priority. We take concerns about patient care and safety extremely seriously, and we apply the same demanding quality and safety requirements to employees as well. 

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