Marie E. Matyjaszek
We’ve all suffered through false alarms, whether planned or not, but the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is paying for its part in one in particular to the tune of a multi-million-dollar settlement.
On October 4, the state agreed to pay a $13 million settlement to patients and employees of the Hawthorn Center in Northville Township who claimed they were terrorized by an unannounced active shooter drill in 2022.
While the Hawthorn Center is now defunct, it was fully operational right before Christmas in 2022 when patients and staff heard bellowed over the speakers that two armed men were inside the facility and that shots had been fired. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Hawthorn Center was a state-run children’s psychiatric hospital.
The element of surprise is often helpful when trying to effectively plan for any type of emergency. However, given America’s history with mass shootings and gun violence, and considering that this was literally a children’s psychiatric hospital, leaving out that it was a drill was utterly devastating. It gets worse, too – the police didn’t even know it was a drill. So, when 911 was called and families were texted by terrified kids and staff, the police rushed to the scene in body armor and weapons used in response to this type of crisis.
It’s hard to imagine the horror faced by the staff and children, who were already suffering from mental health issues. The hospital even went so far as to have two individuals pose as shooters, but thankfully they were not armed.
The settlement will award 50 children approximately $60,000 each, and 90 staff members with more than $50,000 each. In addition, 24 other individuals will receive lesser amounts. Disturbingly, the director who organized the drill reportedly still works for the state.
In a statement released from the Department of Health and Human Services, officials admitted the error of their ways:
“The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services takes the health and safety of our staff and patients very seriously, and felt it was in the best interest of all involved parties to settle this matter. We regret that our patients, staff and community were negatively affected by the unfortunate incident in December 2022. We commend our staff who worked quickly to engage law enforcement partners and the responding agencies who worked to resolve the situation.
“Following the incident, MDHHS offered Critical Incident Stress Management to Hawthorn staff, which included information about Employee Assistance Program resources that could provide behavioral health services to those affected by the event. The Joint Commission requires the state psychiatric hospitals conduct a hazard vulnerability analysis at least every two years to identify potential emergencies, including active shooter exercises. MDHHS is working on improved training and exercise processes as part of updating its emergency operations policies.”
While no amount of money will erase the trauma caused that day, the incident will certainly change how drills are handled in the future.
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Marie Matyjaszek is a judicial attorney at the Washtenaw County Trial Court; however, the views expressed in this column are her own.
On October 4, the state agreed to pay a $13 million settlement to patients and employees of the Hawthorn Center in Northville Township who claimed they were terrorized by an unannounced active shooter drill in 2022.
While the Hawthorn Center is now defunct, it was fully operational right before Christmas in 2022 when patients and staff heard bellowed over the speakers that two armed men were inside the facility and that shots had been fired. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Hawthorn Center was a state-run children’s psychiatric hospital.
The element of surprise is often helpful when trying to effectively plan for any type of emergency. However, given America’s history with mass shootings and gun violence, and considering that this was literally a children’s psychiatric hospital, leaving out that it was a drill was utterly devastating. It gets worse, too – the police didn’t even know it was a drill. So, when 911 was called and families were texted by terrified kids and staff, the police rushed to the scene in body armor and weapons used in response to this type of crisis.
It’s hard to imagine the horror faced by the staff and children, who were already suffering from mental health issues. The hospital even went so far as to have two individuals pose as shooters, but thankfully they were not armed.
The settlement will award 50 children approximately $60,000 each, and 90 staff members with more than $50,000 each. In addition, 24 other individuals will receive lesser amounts. Disturbingly, the director who organized the drill reportedly still works for the state.
In a statement released from the Department of Health and Human Services, officials admitted the error of their ways:
“The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services takes the health and safety of our staff and patients very seriously, and felt it was in the best interest of all involved parties to settle this matter. We regret that our patients, staff and community were negatively affected by the unfortunate incident in December 2022. We commend our staff who worked quickly to engage law enforcement partners and the responding agencies who worked to resolve the situation.
“Following the incident, MDHHS offered Critical Incident Stress Management to Hawthorn staff, which included information about Employee Assistance Program resources that could provide behavioral health services to those affected by the event. The Joint Commission requires the state psychiatric hospitals conduct a hazard vulnerability analysis at least every two years to identify potential emergencies, including active shooter exercises. MDHHS is working on improved training and exercise processes as part of updating its emergency operations policies.”
While no amount of money will erase the trauma caused that day, the incident will certainly change how drills are handled in the future.
—————
Marie Matyjaszek is a judicial attorney at the Washtenaw County Trial Court; however, the views expressed in this column are her own.
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