Montana children's hospital resumes admissions after patient fatally struck by car

Shodair Children's Hospital resumed admissions after a weeklong pause spurred by the death of a 15-year-old patient at the Helena, Mont.-based facility, reports the Independent Record.

Hospital officials said the patient tampered with the building's fire alarm, which caused the doors to unlock, allowing her to exit the mental health facility July 15. She was fatally struck by a vehicle traveling on a nearby interstate, and authorities ruled her death an accident.

After the incident, Shodair Children's voluntarily suspended new admissions for one week to focus on patients' well-being, according to CEO Craig Aasved. The hospital also moved its fire alarms to nursing stations after consulting with local fire officials.

"We will still meet all the codes," Mr. Aasved told the Independent Record. "We're just relocating them to where they are not so accessible to patients."

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