Detroit, MI
Former Detroit hospital employee sues after raising concerns about two rapes of psychiatric patients
(CBS DETROIT) – A former employee of DMC’s Detroit Receiving Hospital is suing the hospital, claiming she was wrongfully terminated after raising concerns following two rapes of psychiatric patients.
The Detroit Police Department confirmed it took two reports of sex assaults at the hospital. The first report in April was sent over to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for charges. Police are still investigating a second case, which happened in June.
The former employee, Lakisha Davis, says both could have been prevented.
In April, Davis says she urged DMC to take action after a psychiatric patient was raped by another patient due to inadequate staffing and poor supervision.
“It’s terrible. With just two nurses and one tech taking care of 22 patients, some of them aggressive, is unsafe,” Davis said.
However, her concerns were allegedly ignored, and just two months later, another patient was raped under similar conditions.
“I was shocked. Like, is this really happening to this patient? Is this real? Are they really going to do something about this?” Davis said.
Davis saw security footage of the second incident and immediately reported it to security and hospital management.
“They didn’t do nothing but fire me and put false allegations on me, saying that I recorded the video and showed it to around the hospital, which is not true,” Davis said.
Her attorney, Azzam Elder, calls that retaliation.
“She went into this profession because she cares. She cares. But if you care, and they see that you care, and you speak up, they cut your head off, and that’s got to stop. It’s got to stop,” Elder said.
Davis is suing the hospital for $10 million for emotional distress, lost wages and damage to her professional reputation.
“They are putting profits over people, profits over patients. They didn’t care about the young, innocent, poor, black young ladies who were raped,” said Reverend WJ Rideout, a community activist.
A spokesperson for DMC provided CBS News Detroit with this statement:
“This baseless lawsuit is an inappropriate attempt by a disgruntled fired employee to personally benefit from an unfortunate situation. Lakisha Davis was terminated for violating HIPAA Privacy Rules designed to protect patients, violation of DMC’s Policies and repeatedly lying about her role in the investigation. In fact, Ms. Davis was already on a final notice and had recent disciplinary action before her termination.
It appears that Ms. Davis’ lies continue following her loss of employment. In her lawsuit, Ms. Davis indicates that she repeatedly raised concerns about this incident, however in the union grievance filed after her termination, she claims that she “never at no time accessed any video and at no time did (she) report any incident…”
The DMC is fully cooperating with regulatory agencies and has taken appropriate actions to ensure patient safety.”
“We’re going to find out what happened, how they did it, how they covered it up, and what happened because this woman deserves a reputation to be restored,” Elder said.
The Detroit People Mover will pause operations for the next 11 weeks starting today, to allow for track replacements and other routine maintenance upgrades.
Over its 37 years in operation, the rail system has undergone regular maintenance based on federal best practices to maintain a “state of good repair.” About 20% of the rail track on the 2.9 mile, one-way loop will be replaced on nine curves and adjacent track as part of this latest round of upgrades, according to the Detroit Transportation Corporation (DTC).
This is the third rail replacement in the Detroit People Mover’s history, with different curves and adjacent track replaced during similar projects in 2008 and 2016.
The latest $4.985 million project — funded by federal and state grants — is scheduled to be completed in November, before Thanksgiving. The DTC anticipates the life expectancy of the new rail sections to be at least 15-30 years.
The Detroit People Mover averages around 113,000 trips per month, or 3,900 rides per day — depending on special events and weather conditions, according to the DTC.
Read more: Detroit People Mover gave 70,000 rides during NFL Draft
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(CBS DETROIT) – A 40-year-old man was shot during an argument in Detroit’s Greektown neighborhood last week, police said.
The shooting happened at 2:20 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, at Saint Antoine and Monroe streets, near the Hollywood Casino at Greektown.
Police say the 40-year-old man and the suspect were in a verbal argument when the suspect fired shots, striking the 40-year-old.
The victim went to a local hospital to be treated and has since been released.
The suspect was last seen wearing a black, white and green varsity jacket, with a white T-shirt, black pants and black and white gym shoes, according to police.
Anyone who recognizes the suspect or has any information about the incident is asked to call the Detroit Police Department’s 3rd Precinct at 313-596-1340, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up or submit a tip through DetroitRewards.tv.
(CBS DETROIT) – Michigan veterans die from suicide at much higher rates than the rest of the population, according to recent Veteran Affairs data.
The Step Up Foundation is working to prevent these deaths by funding research into veteran brain health. The 2024 “Find Your Way Home” swim in Grosse Ile will benefit the foundation.
This year marks the second year of the event. The 10k swim is Saturday, Sept. 14 from the Grosse Ile Yacht Club to the Detroit River Lighthouse.
“Swimming for me is a time just to kind of reflect back on military life. Friends I’ve lost. … Have conversations with guys I don’t get a chance to anymore. And just kind of make peace with things,” said PJ Ramsey, a Navy SEAL veteran and event director of the Step Up Foundation.
The money raised will go towards causes that support veteran brain health.
“Plenty of veterans, plenty of teammates I have, have struggled with transitioning. I myself included with PTS, suicidal ideations, suicidal attempts. Honestly, with all the training I’ve been through in the military, the hardest thing I had to do was ask for help,” said Ramsey.
The Step Up Foundation was founded by Sara Wilkinson, who started it in honor of her husband, Chad Wilkinson, a Navy SEAL for 21 years who died by suicide.
“We found ways to donate his brain and do research. We learned he suffered not just from multiple TBIs but what’s called interface astroglial scarring. Which is blast wave injuries to the brain through combat and through training,” said Wilkinson.
Wilkinson said she started the foundation to help battle those invisible wounds veterans face.
“The truth is, it’s an epidemic. We’ve had thousands and thousands of service members take their life. And so, it doesn’t matter — branch, rank, gender, time in service. They have given to us, and we need to stand up for them,” she said.
More than 30 swimmers will participate in the swim. The event will host an after-party at the Grosse Ile Yacht Club. The event will feature food, drinks and live music. You can buy tickets for the after-party.
“Coming up to Grosse Isle last year for the first time, I just can’t even say what this community, how special they are,” said Wilkinson. “Grosse Isle has touched me in a way that will last a lifetime.”
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