Here's one we haven't seen before. There's an HIV positive patient here, about 35 years old. He has had a visitor in the room (private) all day, identifies him as his son. They have been in the bed together almost cuddling, and the RN and Social Worker both feel there's something wrong there. The Megan's Law website was checked and the patient appears to be there and in violation of his probation, which means there are warrants. I say "appears" because the picture on the website is of a healthier person and the patient is thin and sickly (HIV) but the resemblance is there and the name of the patient is one of the aliases.
So we have called CPS and asked their advice, which is to say there is no advice unless we can get a positive ID on what we believe to be a child unrelated to the patient. The police at this time are not warranted. Any thoughts? Advice? How would you handle it?
How can you say the police are not warranted. You have a guy that looks like the picture on the website, using one of the aliases on the website. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Call the police at once. This man is breaking the law. If you falsely accuse him and he is inocent, he will get over it.
Because the police don't have a right to know he's in the hospital, and that is a violation of HIPAA....IF, in fact, the kid is his son. Even someone on the sex offender registry has the right to be medically treated in private.
No information has been posted on the approximate age of the "son"...that's important to know.
Because the police don't have a right to know he's in the hospital, and that is a violation of HIPAA....IF, in fact, the kid is his son. Even someone on the sex offender registry has the right to be medically treated in private.
No information has been posted on the approximate age of the "son"...that's important to know.
This could really get the OP and her coworkers in big trouble! I work ER and I so understand the frustration of seeing drunk drivers, people who have abused their spouses etc and not being able to turn them in! We recently had a suspected rapist in our ER. The police had called earlier about a man with a possible GSW and had a physical description and the clothes he was wearing. They had no name. When the guy showed up he didn't have a GSW, which I am obligated to report. If the police had a name and the pt wasn't "unlisted" I can say yes he is here,..without a name I can't say a darn thing! I will say that these things have a way of working themselves out, for instance I have no control over what other visitors to the ER say about what they see and hear while in the ER. This guy was actually arrested in the parking lot.
Call social services about an unattended child, (his age is a biggy here) and you might even chat with hospital security. Just be careful.
BabyLady, BSN, RN
2,300 Posts
Because the police don't have a right to know he's in the hospital, and that is a violation of HIPAA....IF, in fact, the kid is his son. Even someone on the sex offender registry has the right to be medically treated in private.
No information has been posted on the approximate age of the "son"...that's important to know.