Report hits operations at psychiatric hospital

A report prepared by the University of Illinois-Chicago paints an unflattering picture of conditions at Hartgrove Hospital, a psychiatric facility on Chicago's West Side.

The report, released by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, contends Hartgrove often was understaffed and over capacity, creating opportunities for attacks by patients on other patients and hospital staff.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/pEq2wz) UIC reviewers interviewed children and teenagers who expressed fear for their safety and the safety of their peers.

DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe says the agency in June stopped authorizing the placement of state wards at Hargrove.

In a statement, Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services Inc., the parent of Hartgrove, said the facility has many "more success stories to its credit than the negative ones highlighted in the report."