Washington will be boosting healthcare facilities' security after two patients escaped and another two went missing from the state's psychiatric hospitals in one week, according to an article on the WPXI website.
A man accused of torturing a 20-year-old woman to death in 2013 was recaptured after a two-day, cross-state manhunt.
Officials at the state health agency said security is being enhanced at Washington state psychiatric hospitals in the wake of the escape. They are focused on boosting security in the Western State Hospital's civil commitment area.
U.S. regulators already were investigating a recent violent attack on a worker and a patient-on-patient sexual assault at the hospital. A workplace inspection released this week found a series of missteps that posed safety risks, including unlocked rooms and unattended items that could be used as weapons.
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