Peace River Crisis Center Shut Down After State Investigation Into Patient’s Tragic Death

One of Polk County’s busiest mental health crisis facilities has been ordered to stop admitting new patients after a state investigation uncovered alarming failures in patient care following the death of a patient.

According to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the patient arrived on June 27th 2026, with a documented history of seizures and other serious medical conditions. While at the facility, the patient repeatedly complained of chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe headaches, and vomited multiple times. Despite the patient’s condition continuing to deteriorate, investigators found the patient was never transferred to a hospital.

The investigation states the patient eventually became unresponsive. Surveillance video allegedly showed staff failing to recognize the severity of the medical emergency. Employees reportedly questioned whether the patient was still breathing, while another staff member had to wake a nurse who investigators say was asleep at the nursing station. AHCA found nearly 19 minutes passed before meaningful medical care was provided, and the patient later died on June 29th 2026.

Investigators also found staff failed to immediately begin CPR, employees did not know where the AED was located, and when it was finally retrieved, it reportedly indicated the batteries needed to be replaced. Multiple employees told investigators they had little or no training on Code Blue procedures, CPR, AED use, or responding to medical emergencies.

AHCA also alleges portions of the patient’s medical documentation did not match surveillance video and concluded the facility’s failures placed patients in immediate danger. As a result, the agency issued an Immediate Moratorium on Admissions, prohibiting the Crisis Stabilization Unit from accepting new patients while pursuing additional enforcement action.

This investigation spans dozens of pages, and we are continuing to review the findings.

Staff Interviews Reveal a Troubling Pattern

The State of Florida’s investigation didn’t just review surveillance footage. Investigators interviewed the employees who were working the night a patient died, and many of their statements revealed a facility that was simply not prepared for a medical emergency.

Several staff members admitted they had never received Code Blue or emergency medical training. Some said they didn’t know where the AED was located, while others acknowledged they had never been trained to use it. Investigators also discovered the AED immediately prompted for a battery replacement, expired pediatric pads were still inside, and even though the facility had an EKG machine, multiple nurses said they had never used it and didn’t know why it was there. One nurse also showed investigators a sticky note attached to the AED that read, “Please do something about it.”

As the patient deteriorated after complaining of chest pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and later becoming unresponsive, staff interviews described hesitation rather than action. One employee told investigators she believed CPR should have started immediately. Another became emotional during her interview, saying, “I am about to cry,” while recalling the incident and questioning why no one had the AED.

The investigation concluded that the patient went approximately 19 minutes without emergency medical care while staff failed to follow the facility’s own emergency response policies. When EMS arrived, they immediately began CPR and advanced life-saving measures.

Based on surveillance video, witness interviews, and the facility’s own policies, the State determined Peace River Crisis Center failed to provide adequate emergency care, failed to properly train staff, and failed to ensure employees were competent to respond to a life-threatening medical emergency. Those findings led Florida to issue an immediate moratorium on admissions while pursuing further administrative action against the facility.