McNott’s phone rang early, before he began listening to religious services on the radio. A doctor told him that Webb, 68, experienced severe spinal injuries.
McNott had known Webb, a patient at D.C.’s public psychiatric hospital, for 14 years. Before the pandemic, he visited him a few times a year and talked with him every other day on the phone, often discussing scripture but rarely the past.
Webb, a schizophrenic, spent most of his life incarcerated or institutionalized at St. Elizabeths Hospital. His mother and a brother were dead or couldn’t be found.
The only contact information in Webb’s file was McNott’s phone number. McNott, 85, was the only person left.
“I was the first one called,” McNott said. “I’m the only friend or adopted relative this fellow had.”
Within days of the call, Webb was left a quadriplegic. Within a month, he was dead.
There is nothing suspicious about Webb’s death. The fall that left him paralyzed occurred while he was alone on his unit, and St. Elizabeths patient advocates who have the power to investigate did not find reason to do so...read more
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