Four hospital employees on leave after patient's death

RALEIGH, N.C. — Four employees of a Goldsboro residential treatment center have been placed on investigatory leave following the death of a resident at the facility, the Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday.

The patient died Wednesday evening at the O'Berry Neuro-Medical Center – a living facility for people with chronic medical conditions and developmental disabilities, DHHS spokesman Brad Deen said in a news release.

Abuse is not suspected, he said, but confidentiality laws prevent the agency from releasing any other details

Two health care technicians and two supervisory-level employees were removed from patient care and placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

“Law enforcement has been called in, and a thorough investigation into this incident is being conducted,” DHHS Secretary Lanier Cansler said in a statement. “In keeping with our zero-tolerance policy, any employee whose actions contributed to the death of this patient will be held accountable."