18Jun/080
Hospital calls cops and feels the sting
When the emergency room staff at Northfield City Hospital thought an obviously disturbed patient was about to turn violent, they did what many hospitals do in that situation: They called the police.
In this instance, officers used a Taser to shock the man. The patient dropped to the floor, was injected with medications and transferred to the psychiatric unit at another hospital, according to an official report about the February incident.
Now federal and state health officials have cited the Northfield hospital for violating the patient's rights.
The hospital and the Minnesota Hospital Association are perplexed by the ruling, which could have implications throughout the state.
"They did nothing wrong....