Overview
- NewYork-Presbyterian reached a settlement Monday with Attorney General Letitia James after a yearslong probe into patients who “eloped,” meaning left the hospital without authorization.
- The agreement requires a $500,000 payment to the state and adds a $10,000 charge for each future violation of the settlement terms.
- Mandates include instant leadership alerts when a high‑risk patient goes missing, stricter observation with monitoring logs, stronger screening for suicide and violence risk, and scheduled follow‑ups for those at higher risk.
- The terms focus on the Brooklyn Methodist campus, where court papers detail cases of seniors and people with schizophrenia who left after poor screening or supervision.
- NewYork-Presbyterian says it has expanded beds and tightened policies since 2022, while the state directs the system to restore licensed psychiatric beds to ease a strained mental‑health system.