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Report details problems at UNC hospital that put patients in ‘immediate jeopardy’

Part of the UNC Hospitals complex at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Part of the UNC Hospitals complex at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC

Editor’s note: This article refers explicitly to suicide, which may disturb some readers.

A 53-page report detailing the results of a two-week inspection of UNC Medical Center shows why federal regulators in late June threatened to cancel the hospital’s Medicare contract if the facility failed to fix major problems that put patients at risk.

Much of the report, obtained by The News & Observer through a Freedom of Information Act Request this week, centers on the case of 29-year-old Troy Simoncelli. Not named in the report, he took his life about an hour after he was discharged from the emergency room in April — over the objections of his family.

The state-owned hospital, one of North Carolina’s largest, says it has fixed the problems and is now in compliance with federal regulations.

Read the full report below.

If you or someone you are concerned about is at risk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by texting or dialing 988. Or call 1-800-273-TALK. The National Alliance of Mental Illness North Carolina also offers virtual support groups and programming across the state.

This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 10:24 AM.

Tyler Dukes
The News & Observer
Tyler Dukes is the lead editor for AI innovation in journalism at McClatchy Media, where he leads a small team of journalists that helps the company’s 30 local newsrooms responsibly harness data, automation and artificial intelligence to elevate and strengthen their reporting. He was previously an investigative reporter at The News and Observer in Raleigh, N.C. In 2017, he completed a fellowship at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University and grew up in Elizabeth City, N.C.
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