Hospital criticized for stun gun use

Hospital criticized for stun gun use

LOS ANGELES, CA, Jun. 5 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles County hospital has 23 days to find ways to subdue patients without using stun guns or risk losing more than half of its $350 million budget.

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday federal inspectors are threatening to cut off funding at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center because of excessive use of Taser stun guns.

Since March 2003, eight patients have been shocked with Tasers by county police using incapacitating jolts of electricity without trying less-extreme methods first, said Steven Chickering, a regional manager with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Most hospitals never use Tasers and call in specially trained medical personnel to calm patients or subdue them with medication or minimal force, according to Chickering.

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