Employee sues hospital after being locked up for 6 days for claimed ‘homicidal ideation’

WOLFEBORO — A Huggins Hospital employee who told coworkers she could “strangle” a relative was declared mentally dangerous and held in a locked hospital emergency-room area for six days last year, she alleges in a lawsuit against the small Wolfeboro hospital.

Held against her will, Noreen Cousins, 56, of Ossipee, found herself diagnosed with “homicidal ideation,” according to her lawyer, Concord attorney Charles “Chuck” Douglas. She was locked in a room with only a toilet, she said Monday.

Cousins had no TV or reading material, and if she wanted to walk the hallways, a hospital worker was beside her, she said.

[readon2 url=”http://www.unionleader.com/article/20140204/NEWS12/140209757″]Read the rest at Union Leader[/readon2]