Autistic man held in ER - no other place to treat him

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A 22-year-old man with developmental disabilities was held in a hospital emergency room for nearly a month earlier this year, and his family said his story isn't unique.

EXETER, N.H. —
A 22-year-old man with developmental disabilities was held in a hospital emergency room for nearly a month earlier this year, and his family said his story isn't unique.

Alex Sanok was diagnosed with autism when he was 4 years old. His mother, Ann Sanok, said he went to Exeter schools and reached an intellectual age of 7, but he became increasingly angry and aggressive as he got older.

"He would go out in the yard and throw things," she said. "He would throw pots. We have wonderful neighbors, and they're all so understanding, but it frightened me because we have a lot of children in the neighborhood."

Area social services did what they could, his mother said.

"We have had him on our waiting list for residential services, which is what he needed, for at least a year," said Chris Muns, CEO of One Sky Community Services.

In early May, Alex Sanok stopped communicating and was breaking windows. In desperation, police were called.

"They were out in the street with him for a half an hour trying to talk him down before they had to grab him," his mother said. "Where do you go?"

He was taken to Exeter Hospital's emergency room, where he stayed, in one room, for 28 days.

"I called everybody," Ann Sanok said. "I called the governor's office. I called state reps. I emailed state senators.

No one had any answers, she said. One Sky Community Services eventually found a location in Massachusetts to take him.

Muns said there's a lack of facilities and training in New Hampshire for people with developmental disabilities.

"The resources have not kept pace with what the need is over the years, and I'm just concerned that we're reaching a breaking point," he said.

In a written statement, Gov. Chris Sununu said that some relief might be on the way.

"It is unacceptable to have individuals boarded in hospital emergency departments for that length of time without treatment," he said. "In the weeks and months ahead, we look forward to working hard to implement the improvements that address these types of situations that are contained in the recently passed state budget."

Being in an ER hold room for 28 days is abuse. I hope at least he got an actual room, and wasn't parked in the hallway or in curtain room for the 28 days.