LONG BEACH, Calif. (WSVN) — A woman has filed a complaint against a California hospital after she said her elderly mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, was dropped off and left outside of a locked care facility.
Surveillance video obtained by the Long Beach Press-Telegram shows 84-year-old Savina Genoese Zerbi, clad in a bathrobe and sandals, trying to open the door after she was dropped off around 2:15 a.m.
The door was locked, so she is then seen knocking on the door.
At some point, the woman made it back into the facility. However, it is unclear how long she was outside for or who let her in.
Zerbi’s daughter, Costanza Genoese Zerbi, said the ordeal took place on Jan. 12, when her mother was taken to College Medical Center for a psychological evaluation due to threats of suicide. Costanza said she wanted her mother taken to another hospital, but the paramedic recommended College Medical Center because there would be less of a wait.
According to KTLA, Costanza said she waited with her mother for several hours, but she eventually left to go check on her own family. The hospital later called Costanza, saying they were going to discharge her mother, and that they would arrange for her to safely be returned to her care facility.
However, Zerbi was left outside the care facility.
“I was horrified,” Costanza told KTLA. “My mom has a hard time piecing together anything. She thinks something that happened yesterday happened 10 years ago; she thinks something that happened 10 years ago happened today.”
Costanza has filed a complaint against College Medical Center with the California Department of Public Health.
In a statement to the Long Beach Press Telegram, the department said:
“The California Department of Public Health investigates all complaints or facility-reported incidents which may violate any state law or regulation within CDPH’s authority to enforce. Details about any potential pending or ongoing investigation are kept confidential until the investigation is complete and findings are issued to the facility. There is currently an ongoing investigation at this facility.”
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