On 15 January 2021 I was admitted to the Arkansas Continued Care Hospital (ACCH) in Jonesboro. With a few exceptions I have no memory of anything from 15 December 2020 until sometime in early March 2021. I was constantly either completely unconscious or in a non-cognizant state - I was observed by the hospital personnel and my visitors to be apparently awake, sitting up, talking and eating. I was completely unaware and according to them (noted in the records) my speech was nonsensical, some apparently being a response to hallucinations.

I was visited daily by one or the other of my two older siblings. The hospital used the "pandemic" as an excuse to restrict access to one visitor, so they visited on alternate days.

They became concerned by the situation, both being well-educated and having more medical knowledge than most, and have known me my entire life and believed that the doctor not only was not making any progress towards improving my condition but was in fact making it worse. It took considerable persuasion to have him reduce the dosage of some of the drugs to allow me to remain awake long enough to assess my mental condition.

He finally did so, and sometime during the first week of March I became continuously semi-cognizant. That is to say, I recognized that I was in a hospital bed and was being attended by nurses and other personnel. The days preceding this had been filled with constant hallucinations that contained few elements that resembled the real world.

Following are some examples of the abuse to which I was subjected before my family managed to have me released:

1. I was tied to the bed with wire. Wrists and ankles were connected to strips of cloth (resembling torn strips of bed linen) which were tied to the bed. I could not move any extremity more than a few inches. (Note 1)

I was told that these restraints were to prevent me from leaving the bed or removing a feeding tube. (Note 2)

My right hand was occasionally freed temporarily, and sometimes my left as well, to allow me to sit up for meals or have medication administered. I was promptly tied down again afterwards.

This continued for days, as I pleaded with them to release me, or at least not tie my hands again. The only response was that it was ordered by the doctor. On at least two occasions I saw the form with the restraint order.

I asked, every day, to have the doctor visit me and assess my condition. Each time I was told that the doctor would see me on his morning rounds. Each day I lay in the bed, watching the clock, until the day passed and I went to sleep, only to repeat the process the next day.

To this day I have never seen Dr. Copeland in person. (Note 3)

2. Members of the staff repeatedly told my family that I was unlikely to recover. This should have never been permitted. An employee at St. Bernards who made a similar comment was reprimanded by a doctor, who informed my family members that it was inappropriate and unfounded.

At no time (see Part 6) was I ever evaluated by a competent doctor to assess my condition. Under the influence of the drugs it would have been impossible for even a properly trained doctor to do so.

When I was released to the care of my family they were told that they were endangering my health and life and were required to sign papers releasing the hospital from liability.

3. Other conditions (dirty environment, including some of the personnel) and abuse by them may or may not be to some degree the responsibility of the doctor, but inasmuch as he did not even bother to observe them he in my opinion shares blame.

The large orderly who verbally and physically abused me (when he desired to change my position on the bed he picked me up and dropped me where he wanted) should at least not been allowed to attend me and should have been reported to the management.

4. The deterioration of my physical condition caused by two months of confinement was never addressed in any substantial way. (Note 4) When my family was attempting to have me moved to a more competent facility the staff began making rather indifferent attempts at 'physical therapy'. During the last three weeks I was visited at most three times weekly by a therapist, who spent perhaps twenty minutes attempting to restore my ability to walk.

On the first day I was unable to stand at all. The therapist and his assistant held me in a vertical position a few times and put me back in the bed. It was several days before I could stand using a walker and with an able-bodied person supporting me.

By the time I was discharged I was able, barely, to go from my room to an elevator and from the elevator to the entrance a few yards away, with assistance to prevent me from falling. They put me in the car and drove me to the home of a family member, where my recovery actually began. (Note 5)

Beyond performing its one legitimate task - treating my kidney injury until I recovered - Dr. Copeland did absolutely nothing do improve my condition and in fact caused my permanent disability. I am in fact disabled to the point of being unable to work at my former job or any other.