Suicide raises issues about mainland transfer of state hospital patients

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Hawaii mental health patient died by suicide at a South Carolina psychiatric facility last month, after being transported a year ago as part of an effort to reduce overcrowding.

According to attorney Walter Rodby, Payton Nathaniel Hough was sent to the distant facility without notice or a court hearing.

Hough died by suicide at Columbia Regional Care Center in November, though the Department of Health did not confirm the incident took place.

Hough’s family learned of his death on Nov. 25, according to his sister’s Instagram post.

Key lawmakers were only told about the death Tuesday after Hawaii News Now asked about it.

Table of Contents

Patient’s history of violence

Hough was born and raised on Kauai and was first committed to the state hospital in Kaneohe 12 years ago after being acquitted by reason of insanity for trying to break into a vacation rental.

For six years, he was in and out of the state hospital and community facilities, sometimes forcibly medicated.

In 2019, Hough ended up in pretrial detention at Oahu Community Correctional Center, where he assaulted a state sheriff and beat to death his cellmate, Jacob Russell. He was acquitted by reason of insanity again.

Transfer plan details

In an October hearing on hospital overcrowding, hospital administrator Mark Linscott described plans to send the four patients to a mainland facility.

“These are the highly assaultive, psychotic patients that are a challenge for the state hospital,” Linscott said. “This really has to be a certain kind of patient, treatment plan making sure that they are long term and is this the right facility for them based upon their behaviors.”

Linscott said the transfer would happen in the next two weeks. He did not mention that there were other patients already there.

Hough’s lawyer was unaware he had even left Hawaii and said his family would have opposed the transfer.

Lawmakers demand answers

State Rep. Della Au Belatti, former Health Committee chair, said a death in in any mental facility and especially one out of the reach of Hawaii Health Department oversite raises a red flag.

“When this person was transported from the Department of Health to this privately contracted facility and they had custody and care of him, they owed him a duty,” Belatti said.

Belatti called for a comprehensive review of what happened. Other key lawmakers were told that DOH is sending someone to South Carolina to investigate.

The Health Department refused to confirm any incident had taken place or provide any additional information saying it would have no comment.

Belatti said the department should be transparent about a sentinel event like a suicide.

“Just like we require corrections, this type of event should be reported immediately to the executive branch, to the directors, and certainly to the lawmakers who have oversight responsibility over this matter,” she said.

Belatti said the incident highlights the distress in Hawaii’s mental health system and expressed lack of confidence in current leadership.

“This incident is highlighting the distress that our mental health system is now under,” she said. “I don’t have confidence in what is happening right now.”

Although Hawaii News Now first reported that Hough had been transported recently, his family clarified that it has been about a year since he was removed from Hawaii State Hospital.

link