The death of a patient at the Saint John Regional Hospital has prompted a call for a public inquiry into patient safety.
The lawyer who represented the family of Serena Perry says it’s shocking that a man fell or jumped to his death from a hospital balcony Wednesday night.
Perry’s death was ruled a homicide by a coroner’s jury.
Police say there was no foul play in the most recent death.
There is little evidence on Thursday of what took place Wednesday night at the hospital.
Police say shortly after 8 p.m. a male patient died after falling from a balcony to the hospital’s lobbybelow.
Horizon Health refused to answer any questions on the incident, but did release a statement which said:
“Hospital staff reported the incident to the Saint John Police Force, and are cooperating with the ongoing investigation. We express our sincere sympathies and support to the family during this difficult time.”
Saint John lawyer John Gillis represented the family of Serena Perry, a 22-year-old who was found dead in the hospital amphitheater in February 2012.
She was a patient in the psychiatric ward at the time.
“The inquest took a while to get off the ground,” Gillis explains. “But it just wrapped up and the jury came back with recommendations to address the issues raised in her death.”
The coroner’s jury ruled Perry’s death a homicide, and considered a number of recommendations, including moving the psychiatric unit to a more secure location, and addressing how patients can leave the unit.
Neither police, nor Horizon Health will say which unit the man was on.
Gillis says he would like to see a public inquiry.
“The public needs to be assured that, that is a safe place to go,“adds Gillis. “It’s not just the Saint John Regional Hospital. There are incidences at other hospitals and so to me, it being a province wide issue really requires a commissioner to be appointed and an investigation to ensue to hear from witnesses to determine where the status of mental patients safety is now, and what can be done to improve it.”
The Saint John Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ashley Blackford.
