Michigan legislator wants audit of Hawthorn Center after unannounced active shooter drill

Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·4 min read
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A state senator from metro Detroit is requesting a formal audit of Hawthorn Center in Northville Township, the state's youth psychiatric hospital where an unannounced active shooter drill was held four days before Christmas.

Sen. Michael Webber, R-Rochester Hills, said Monday he sent a letter to Michigan Auditor General Doug Ringler requesting a formal audit after concerns about the unannounced drill, children escaping the facility and relocating youth in the center into an adult psychiatric facility while the center is razed and a new facility is built.

Webber held a listening session last week for families of loved ones who say they have suffered in the care of Hawthorn Center and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' Child Protective Services.

The Hawthorn Center in Northville Township will be replaced with a new psychiatric facility by the state.
The Hawthorn Center in Northville Township will be replaced with a new psychiatric facility by the state.

Last month, he sent letters to Senate committee chairs requesting a legislative hearing to investigate ongoing problems at the center.

'Too many young people are suffering'

The letter to Ringler also was signed by state Sen. Jim Runestad and state Reps. Tom Kuhn, Jamie Thompson and Mark Tisdel, all Republicans from metro Detroit, who also participated in the listening session.

In a news release, Webber said stories from families ranged from "heartbreaking to tragic; too many young people are suffering when they are supposed to be protected."

The most recent auditor general review of Hawthorn Center was conducted in 2014 on the effectiveness of its operations, including a timeliness of assessments, medication inventory monitoring and internal incident investigative processes, according to Webber's release.

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That audit, the release states, did not focus on patient care or clinical decisions, staff opinions about patient treatment or the effectiveness of the Office of Recipient Rights at the Center, which is responsible for patient treatment complaints.

The lawmakers are seeking an updated performance audit of the center including reviews of:

  • Patient care and staff opinions about treatment.

  • The effectiveness of the Office of Recipient Rights at the Center.

  • Clinical decisions.

  • The causes of patient escapes and the circumstances involving the active shooter drill in December.

In his letter, Webber added that it may be worthwhile to review whether communication delays between the center and the state health department have contributed to errors.

Review of drill finds no violations of policy

At least 17 patients have escaped from the center since 2020, according to the release from Webber's office and letters he sent to Democratic colleagues.

Center officials and the state health department are under fire in lawsuits stemming from the unannounced active shooter drill in December that terrified staff and brought a large police presence to the center with guns drawn.

An internal review of the incident found no policies or work rules were violated when the center held the unannounced active intruder drill, according to documents and emails obtained by the Free Press through a Freedom of Information Act request with the state health department.

A State Hospital Administration investigator who reviewed the Dec. 21 unannounced drill at Hawthorn Center said in a March memorandum that the drill was conducted hastily — just a day after the decision was made to have it, with poor communication and inadequate staffing for the circumstances.

Brandon Woodruff, 32, reflects on events that unfolded after he was asked to participate in an unannounced active shooter drill at his workplace in December, while sitting for a photo at his home in Oak Park on Friday, May 12, 2023. "Every day I drive in for work and look toward the dumpster where I was hiding and think 'I could have just died right there,'" said Woodruff, who was met by police with their guns drawn then handcuffed and questioned after his direct supervisor asked him to play the role of an active shooter at Hawthorn Center in Northville Township. Woodruff was later denied paternity leave and mental health services. "After I got denied, I sunk even lower mentally."

Two lawsuits have been filed by families and/or employees, including one who was tapped to roleplay one of the two active armed shooters.

The state plans to raze the center and temporarily is housing youth patients at the Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital in Westland, where adults are treated, while a new $325 million inpatient psychiatric hospital for youth and adults is being built.

Hawthorn Center patients and staff were moved to a separate unit at the Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital at the end of June, Lynn Sutfin, state health department spokesperson, said in an email Tuesday to the Free Press. She said as of July 1, Hawthorn Center is no longer an accredited entity.

Webber said he has concerns about youth and adult being housed under the same roof.

In regard to the requested audit, Sutfin said, "The health and safety of our staff and patients is our top concern." She said Michigan's state hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission "and are committed to providing evidence-supported, person-centered inpatient care to individuals in an environment that values compassion, collaboration and community reintegration."

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan legislator requests formal audit of Hawthorn Center