Despite Years Of Serious Safety Violations, Holly Hill Hospital Looks To Treat More Patients

By Taylor Knopf

A for-profit psychiatric infirmary successful Raleigh — regularly sanctioned by regulators and visited by constabulary owed to fights, diligent escapes and reports of alleged intersexual battle — is expanding to service much people. 

Last year, Holly Hill Hospital announced a partnership pinch nan Raleigh Police Department successful which officers would return group successful intelligence distress straight to nan hospital’s field successful downtown Raleigh alternatively of first going to a infirmary emergency section aliases different installation for evaluation. 

Holly Hill announced connected societal media successful June that it opened a caller portion connected its southbound field adjacent WakeMed Hospital disconnected New Bern Avenue for adults pinch little terrible intelligence wellness needs, specified arsenic those needing constituent usage detox aliases thief pinch depression. The infirmary is besides successful nan process of launching a “Patriot Support Program” to dainty veterans and active-duty subject members, which includes a caller 32-bed inpatient unit, according to nan hospital’s Facebook page.

Holly Hill’s CEO Leigh Holston declined to beryllium interviewed for this communicative and answered immoderate of North Carolina Health News’ questions successful an email that included fewer specifications astir nan hospital’s business pinch nan constabulary and nan caller subject support program. The Raleigh Police Department did not supply specifications astir its business pinch Holly Hill.

These caller initiatives are underway contempt superior shortcomings astatine Holly Hill that person been documented many times complete nan past 5 years by national and authorities regulators during a twelve on-site investigations into diligent complaints. Inspectors have recovered repeated problems, including diligent escapes, allegations of intersexual and beingness assault, missing curen plans, medicine errors, contraband connected patients, archiving issues successful patients’ aesculapian charts, unsafe diligent discharge practices, unsanitary surviving conditions and deficiency of connection mentation services. 

Since 2020, regulators person put Holly Hill nether contiguous jeopardy 3 times. Immediate jeopardy is nan astir terrible punishment a infirmary tin receive; it indicates that superior harm aliases decease has, aliases is likely, to occur. Holly Hill was nether contiguous jeopardy arsenic precocious arsenic January 2025 after a conflict collapsed retired among teen girls successful which they overtook unit and nan nurse’s position and sewage into nan room wherever medications are stored.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services officials said successful an emailed connection that contiguous jeopardy sanctions utilized to beryllium rare, but that now they are uncovering vulnerable conditions astatine hospitals deserving of this highest punishment much often. State officials told NC Health News they are having conversations pinch national regulators astir further measures they tin return to support patients safe astatine accommodation pinch recurring violations.

In consequence to questions astir nan repeated sanctions astatine Holly Hill, the CEO wrote successful an email: “Each study provides opportunities for nan installation to amended upon its services.”

The issues astatine Holly Hill reflector claims against different accommodation crossed nan state that are owned by nan hospital’s genitor company, Universal Health Services, which has faced aggregate lawsuits successful caller years. The institution was the taxable of a scathing report released successful 2024 by nan U.S. Senate Finance Committee titled Warehouses of Neglect. The study claimed that Universal Health Services, which operates 181 inpatient behavioral wellness accommodation successful nan U.S. — including 3 successful North Carolina — offered minimal curen and mediocre conditions pinch excessively fewer staff, each successful an effort to maximize profits. 

Universal Health Services released a statement successful consequence to nan Senate report, calling nan committee’s findings “incomplete and misleading.” 

Nonetheless, successful North Carolina, authorities fund proposals being debated by legislators see expanding a programme that would springiness much money to free-standing psychiatric hospitals, including Holly Hill, Brynn Marr Hospital successful Jacksonville and Old Vineyard successful Winston-Salem, each owned by Universal Health Services. 

Despite costly lawsuits and troublesome reports, Universal Health Services presses connected — opening caller accommodation and boasting grounds profits twelvemonth aft year. 

Direct way to Holly Hill 

Last year, Holly Hill announced that nan infirmary would beryllium partnering pinch nan Raleigh Police Department truthful officers could bring group experiencing intelligence wellness crises straight to Holly Hill. 

In August 2024, Holly Hill Hospital sent retired a news merchandise announcing a caller collaboration pinch nan Raleigh Police Department. Former Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson and Holly Hill Hospital CEO Leigh Holston were some quoted successful nan release. Credit: Holly Hill Hospital property release

“The collaboration was birthed pinch a desire to circumvent unnecessary emergency section referrals for individuals experiencing behavioral wellness crises,” publication the news merchandise from Holly Hill. “By presenting straight to a behavioral wellness facility, individuals successful situation person quicker entree to due attraction and trim nan overflow knowledgeable successful emergency rooms.”

Since nan pandemic, much group successful intelligence distress have been showing up astatine North Carolina’s emergency rooms, which puts strain connected aesculapian hospitals. 

Holly Hill dedicated a infirmary liaison to activity straight pinch nan constabulary department, according to nan release. When asked astir nan partnership, Holly Hill CEO Holston wrote successful an email that this process tin alleviate immoderate of nan strain connected emergency departments and let them to attraction connected patients’ aesculapian needs. 

Raleigh Police officers get called to Holly Hill Hospital hundreds of times per twelvemonth to respond to everything from 911 telephone bent ups and trespassing, to termination threats and supplier overdoses. The section keeps a telephone log that shows nan addresses officers spell to, nan dates and times, and nan reasons for nan calls.

The constabulary records show officers responded to 262 calls for assault, 147 for activity offenses, 24 for rapes aliases to prime up a rape kit, and 17 for diligent escapes betwixt January 1, 2019, and May 6, 2025, astatine Holly Hill Hospital.

When asked astir nan galore calls for thief to constabulary astir Holly Hill’s CEO Holston said that intelligence wellness patients person rights, including “the correct to make and person telephone calls.” 

“[Raleigh Police] are speedy to supply support to our patients whenever they are called for assistance,” she wrote. “All allegations are investigated arsenic appropriate.” 

NC Health News asked Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman really galore of these incidents led to criminal charges, and she wrote successful an email that her agency “did not find a shape of cases being referred to our agency for charging.”

Raleigh constabulary committed to partnership

The issues wrong Holly Hill person played retired successful nan nationalist oculus a fewer times successful caller years, peculiarly erstwhile patients person escaped nan facility. Law enforcement officers get progressive to way down escaped patients, instances that catch the attention of section TV news stations.

The August 2024 news merchandise announcing nan caller collaboration betwixt Holly Hill and nan Raleigh Police Department included this photograph of infirmary leaders and members of nan department. Left to right: Holly Hill Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Hardeman; Holly Hill Chief Nursing Officer Michelle Frey; Holly Hill Director of Admissions Brian Maxey; Sergeant Madeline Horner, caput of nan constabulary department’s ACORNS unit; Alice Hawley, head of nursing astatine Holly Hill Children’s hospital; Commander Patrick Gorman; Holly Hill head of nursing Susan Jones; Lieutenant Shawn Brown Credit: Holly Hill Hospital news release

When asked astir nan constabulary department’s business pinch Holly Hill by WRAL-TV soon aft it was announced successful August past year, since-retired Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson told nan station that if Holly Hill did not supply bully care, her section was unfastened to re-evaluating nan collaboration. Patterson besides told WRAL that nan department’s intelligence wellness unit, called ACORNS, would beryllium heavy progressive successful nan partnership. 

The ACORNS portion is simply a specialized squad of officers and societal workers that respond connected a referral ground to calls from different officers and organization members to assistance group experiencing intelligence wellness issues, homelessness and constituent usage challenges. This spring, NC Health News interviewed nan caput of nan ACORNS unit, Sgt. Madeline Horner, who said “most of that business is supra my salary grade, truthful I don’t person immoderate specifications to share.” 

NC Health News followed up pinch nan constabulary department’s communications squad asking if nan repeated information violations and number of times officers person responded to escapes, alleged assaults and intersexual abuses astatine nan infirmary had affected nan department’s appraisal of nan partnership. 

“The Raleigh Police Department has maintained a long-standing business pinch Holly Hill, which predates Chief Patterson’s tenure arsenic Chief of Police, and this collaboration will proceed moving forward… We do not supply comments connected immoderate incidents that person occurred there. It would beryllium astir effective to get accusation straight from nan root alternatively than done our department,” Lt. David Davis of nan department’s nationalist affairs agency said successful an email.

Davis did not respond to NC Health News’ follow-up questions.

Opening a caller subject unit 

Holly Hill is besides poised to grow inpatient services to subject members, veterans and first responders. 

The infirmary has been promoting a caller Patriot Support Program and precocious opened a subject program, according to nan hospital’s website. The hospital’s CEO Holston wrote successful an email that Holly Hill plans to unfastened a Patriot Support Program successful nan future. The programme includes a caller 32-bed inpatient portion astatine Holly Hill’s big infirmary successful Raleigh, according to nan hospital’s Facebook account. 

After declining NC Health News’ petition for an interview, Holston answered prime questions via email. But those answers lacked specifics astir nan Patriot Support Program. 

“It is an grant to supply specialized support for nan unsocial challenges that progressive work and Veteran populations face,” Holston wrote. “Many of our Holly Hill unit members are Veterans aliases person family members who person served, and they are trained successful champion believe interventions for this population.”

Universal Health Services, nan hospital’s genitor company, has Patriot Support Programs astatine 34 of its behavioral wellness accommodation passim nan United States. The company reported successful its astir caller yearly study that it treated much than 17,800 active-duty subject personnel, veterans and family members past year. According to a representation connected nan company’s website, nan programme opening astatine Holly Hill would beryllium its first successful North Carolina. 

UHS’ Patriot Support Program made nationalist news successful 2022 erstwhile erstwhile shot prima Herschel Walker claimed to person founded nan programme during his grounded run for a U.S. Senate spot successful Georgia. The Associated Press fact-checked Walker’s claim and reported that Walker was really a paid spokesperson for nan UHS program. 

In nan aforesaid story, nan Associated Press reported connected a “sprawling civilian lawsuit brought against Universal Health Services by nan U.S. Department of Justice and astir 2 twelve states” successful which UHS was accused of aggressively pushing subject members and veterans into nan Patriot Support Program successful an effort to boost nan company’s profits and defrauding nan national authorities successful nan process.

In 2020, nan U.S. Department of Justice announced that UHS agreed to salary $117 cardinal to resoluteness those allegations against respective of its hospitals for knowingly filing mendacious claims for costs for behavioral wellness services that weren’t basal aliases appropriately provided to group covered by federally funded security programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare and Department of Veterans Affairs.

UHS entered nan colony statement without admitting guilt. 

“During nan people of this matter, UHS denied nan allegations and was capable to coming important grounds to efficaciously rebut nan claims made by nan government. Many of nan allegations progressive accommodation that UHS acquired from different operators and nan claims pre-date our acquisition of those facilities,” wrote UHS Public Relations Director Jane Crawford successful an emailed connection to NC Health News. 

“Third-party healthcare manufacture analysts confirmed nan dubious quality of nan claims, for illustration concluding that UHS mean magnitude of enactment is akin and, successful galore cases, little than that of our manufacture peers,” she wrote.

In that case, nan authorities claimed UHS hired subject liaisons to build relationships connected bases and facilitate subject members’ usage of nan Patriot Support Program. The AP besides reported that Tricare — nan security sum for subject members and their families — was peculiarly valuable to UHS, arsenic nan scheme does not limit nan magnitude of psychiatric infirmary stays truthful agelong arsenic circumstantial criteria are met. 

Holly Hill has hired a subject liaison, a veteran, who has been making his measurement to North Carolina’s subject bases and region veterans associations, posting photos connected nan hospital’s social media page. 

UHS besides owns Brynn Marr Hospital, an inpatient psychiatric installation adjacent nan Marine guidelines Camp Lejeune successful Jacksonville. In an investigation by NC Health News, erstwhile labor alleged that Brynn Marr besides favored patients pinch Tricare, nan subject sponsored insurance. The amended a patient’s insurance, nan longer they would extremity up staying, alleged 1 erstwhile employee. 

Several erstwhile Brynn Marr labor said they near that infirmary successful portion owed to what they described arsenic unethical practices, including cherry picking patients pinch amended security and utilizing questionable strategies to support them location longer. One of those practices, they alleged to NC Health News, included documenting much terrible diagnoses for patients to make them look sicker than they were truthful that nan infirmary could measure much to insurers. 

Brynn Marr’s CEO astatine nan clip denied these allegations, and Crawford called them “unsubstantiated and inaccurate” successful a connection to NC Health News.

Record profits, costly lawsuits

Universal Health Services leaders opportunity their extremity is to scope much than $17 cardinal successful revenues successful 2025, and they’re banking connected their behavioral wellness services to get them there.

UHS — 1 of nan largest for-profit wellness systems successful nan state — operates 72 aesculapian accommodation and 195 behavioral wellness accommodation successful nan U.S., and 149 behavioral wellness accommodation successful nan United Kingdom. In 2024, nan institution reported $15.8 cardinal successful revenues, astir an 11 percent summation successful nett gross complete nan erstwhile year, according to UHS’ yearly report. 

Last year, UHS derived its largest gross increase, an further 10.7 percent, from its behavioral wellness services, which saw astir 730,000 patients successful nan United States. UHS added 164 inpatient beds astatine caller and existing behavioral wellness accommodation successful nan U.S. past twelvemonth and is building 3 much accommodation and expanding aggregate others, according to nan company’s yearly report. 

UHS reports and officials item behavioral wellness arsenic a cardinal portion of boosting its early profits, pinch an up to 3 percent diligent time gross summation extremity group for this year, according to UHS’ first 4th net telephone pinch investors. By July, UHS leaders told investors during their 2nd 4th telephone they’ve seen a little measurement of inpatient behavioral wellness patients than expected and their antecedently stated semipermanent extremity of expanding nan number of inpatient admissions successful 2025 has been “elusive.” 

“What we’re seeing successful behavioral [health] is payers trying to displacement much patients from nan inpatient mounting to nan outpatient setting,” said nan company’s CFO Steve Filton on nan July net call pinch investors. “We person ever had an outpatient presence, but I don’t cognize that our attraction has been arsenic aggravated arsenic it is presently successful portion to return advantage of that shift. […] We’ve been not needfully capturing what I would picture arsenic our adjacent stock of that outpatient business.”

He said UHS plans to unfastened 10 to 15 caller outpatient behavioral wellness accommodation each twelvemonth moving forward.

Filton besides spent a important magnitude of clip fielding questions from investors astir nan impact nan One Big Beautiful Bill will person connected nan company’s Medicaid payments.The imaginable stakes for UHS are precocious now that Congress passed a fund that will trim astir $1 trillion from Medicaid complete nan coming decade, eroding wellness security for galore who acquisition sum connected nan individual marketplace and moreover person ripple effects connected Medicare financing. The Wall Street Journal reported that 68 percent of UHS’ pretax income successful 2024 came from supplemental Medicaid payments. 

Filton told investors that successful a worst lawsuit script if nan rule is not amended, UHS could return a $360 cardinal deed from Medicaid cuts starting successful 2028 erstwhile nan policies are group to spell into effect. He said nan Medicaid activity requirements could adversely effect nan company’s Medicaid revenues. 

The institution is besides fighting immoderate costly lawsuits. 

In a case against a UHS-owned children’s infirmary successful Virginia, aggregate erstwhile patients made claims of intersexual and beingness abuse, arsenic good arsenic allegations of aesculapian grounds falsification. A assemblage ruled successful September to grant 3 plaintiffs a mixed $300 million successful damages. In UHS’ yearly report, nan institution said it plans to situation that verdict and that it expects this litigation to beryllium drawn retired for years because 40 much plaintiffs are making akin allegations. 

In Illinois, a UHS-affiliated installation was ordered successful 2024 to salary $535 million successful a negligence suit pursuing allegations of nan intersexual battle of a 13-year-old diligent by different patient. The company’s lawyer called nan verdict excessive, and nan infirmary challenged it. In October 2024, a judge reduced nan verdict to $120 million, but UHS still plans to appeal nan remaining judgement. 

In some cases, UHS Public Relations Director Crawford told NC Health News that nan hospitals were “shocked by nan verdicts successful those cases and vehemently disagree pinch nan juries’ verdicts.” Both hospitals are successful bully opinionated pinch their section regulatory authorities and proceed to gain favorable feedback from diligent restitution surveys, completed astatine clip of discharge, Crawford wrote successful an email.

In a connection heavy successful nan company’s yearly report, there’s a notation that shows institution officials interest that each of these lawsuits could usage up overmuch of their commercialized security sum deductibles.

“We are uncertain arsenic to nan eventual financial vulnerability related to” nan 2 largest cases, nan institution stated successful its yearly financial report. “And we tin make nary assurances regarding timing aliases constituent of their outcome, aliases nan magnitude of damages that whitethorn beryllium yet held recoverable aft post-judgment proceedings and appeals.” 

Potential gains successful North Carolina 

In North Carolina, UHS-owned hospitals could get a boost if nan authorities fund plan, presently being debated by lawmakers, becomes law. Both nan House and Senate proposed extending a Medicaid-related reimbursement program to free-standing psychiatric hospitals. This would use UHS-owned Holly Hill, Brynn Marr and Old Vineyard. 

The scheme includes a recurring $40 million starting successful fiscal twelvemonth 2026 truthful that free-standing psychiatric hospitals get enhanced reimbursements for curen of Medicaid managed attraction enrollees. Sen. Jim Burgin (R-Harnett) told NC Health News nan chat that led to this connection was wholly astir really to thief 3 state-owned psychiatric facilities, which person struggled to enlistee and support capable staff to unfastened beds that are presently unstaffed.

“The large push was to effort to return advantage of nan money for intelligence health, truthful that we could unfastened nan 300 beds that are closed successful nan 3 different [state] facilities,” he said. 

Burgin said location was nary chat astir really for-profit psychiatric accommodation would besides use from nan expanded authorities reimbursements. The senator expressed awesome concern complete nan repeated violations astatine immoderate inpatient facilities, including Holly Hill, saying he’s been portion of state-level meetings astir really to reside immoderate of nan issues.

When asked astir this money going to for-profit psychiatric accommodation pinch mediocre way records, expert and authorities Rep. Grant Campbell (R-Norwood) told NC Health News that lawmakers “can’t make broad argumentation connected individual institutions.”

“Inpatient psychiatric has sewage overwhelmingly disproportionate Medicaid organization that makes it very difficult to support their doors open,” he said. “We’ll surely reside immoderate concerns connected an individual basis, but we’re not going to make authorities argumentation connected individual examples of problems.”

As North Carolina lawmakers propose accrued payments to psychiatric hospitals, state wellness officials say they are moving connected ways to clasp accommodation pinch repetition offenses — specified arsenic nan ones Holly Hill has racked up — accountable. 

The quality cost

Meanwhile, galore erstwhile patients opportunity they are haunted by their clip wrong Holly Hill and other UHS-owned hospitals. Some person told NC Health News that they struggle pinch accrued symptoms of worry and depression aft their hospitalizations and hesitate to scope retired for intelligence wellness support for fearfulness they will extremity up locked wrong a psychiatric infirmary again. 

“I was surgery and terrified and conscionable not okay, and I’m still traumatized by that,” said Kate, a 37-year-old Charlotte resident, astir her week spent wrong Holly Hill. “It has prevented maine from seeking emergency intelligence wellness services since.”

Kate, who is identified by first sanction only to protect her privacy, tried to extremity her life successful nan outpouring of 2022. She was involuntarily committed and taken by a sheriff’s lawman to Holly Hill, wherever she waited for much than 7 hours successful a mini overcrowded room to beryllium admitted to nan hospital. She told NC Health News that different patients were lying connected nan level astir her because location weren’t capable chairs. The mini bath attached to nan admissions room was covered successful fluids, she alleged, signaling her impressions successful a achromatic and achromatic creation notebook she received aft being admitted to Holly Hill.

In her journal, Kate alleged that connected her first time a caregiver gave her 2 of nan aforesaid type of medicine she had utilized successful her termination attempt, earlier she ever saw a doctor. 

Kate besides alleged that she was only allowed extracurricular for 1 hr during her eight-day infirmary enactment and that she felt lethargic owed to nan deficiency of activity and caller air. She said she spent astir of her days astatine Holly Hill doing connection puzzles and watching television. The group therapy sessions consisted of a intelligence wellness technician asking 1 mobility and documenting it successful patients’ charts, she wrote successful her journal.

Patients would get into fights, and she told NC Health News that unit appeared to beryllium unbothered, doing thing to intervene.

“They sewage into 1 of nan nastiest beingness fights I’ve ever seen betwixt 2 women. This was for illustration a thoroughfare fight, for illustration group who are utilized to fighting. It was sadistic and horrifying to watch,” she said. “No 1 moved from wherever they were. No 1 said anything.”

On her past day, Kate told NC Health News that she was punched successful nan look by a ample antheral diligent because she changed nan tv station. She said she told nan psychiatrist what happened and demanded to spell home. The expert refused, saying she needed to stay, Kate recalled. 

When she threatened to telephone nan constabulary and study nan assault, Kate alleged that nan psychiatrist quickly changed his mind and said she could spell location that day. 

As she waited nan 3 hours for her spouse to thrust from Charlotte to prime her up, Kate said nan man who had punched her followed her astir nan hospital, staring astatine her done nan cracked doorway of her chamber and shoulder-checking her successful nan hallway.

Kate says she feels distress erstwhile she sees nan news reports of diligent escapes and sounds nan experiences of patients astatine Holly Hill shared connected online chat boards with hundreds of comments calling retired nan infirmary for its curen of patients. 

“When I sewage out, portion of nan trauma was knowing that each these group that deserved thief and attraction were still there,” she said. “And past reasoning astir each nan group successful nan past who person suffered from that arsenic well, and that they were going to support taking much group in.”

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