The head of the state office that investigates deaths and abuse in mental hospitals and other medical facilities has announced his retirement.
Robert J. Fitzgerald has been director of the state Division of Health Service Regulation for the last seven years. He said his retirement, announced to his staff earlier this month, is in no way tied to The News & Observer series on mental health reform, reports Michael Biesecker.
“This is entirely of my own volition,” said Fitzgerald, 64. “This had nothing to do with any outside events.”
Fitzgerald said his retirement is effective May 1. His annual salary is $119,759.
Read more after the jump.
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The N&O's series showed that of the 192 employees of state mental facilities who were found to have abused or neglected patients, only 13 percent were charged with a crime. The newspaper also listed the names of 82 state hospital patients who died in circumstances that raise questions — homicides, suicides, accidents or as the possible result of sub-par medical care.
Fitzgerald's division investigated 36 of those 82 cases, according to the division's tracking database. Of those, the division cited the state hospital for wrongdoing in six cases.
Fitzgerald was the second division director within the state Department of Health and Human Services to announce his retirement in the past month.
On Feb. 22, Michael Moseley announced his retirement as director of the division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services.
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