HOUSTON – A KPRC 2 viewer alerted us to documents with private information that were dumped at the site of a former hospital in east Houston.
Over the years, the hospital just off I-10 east of downtown has had a lot of names, including Riverside General, Barbara Jordan Healthcare and most recently the Houston Addiction Center. Neighbors said the center left the building about a year and a half ago.
"We've seen people coming and going. Stripping the building of copper, medal, the whole nine yards. It's become an eyesore," Rev. John Fields said.
Fields, pastor at the First Shiloh Baptist Church just across the street, said after the facility abruptly closed up, vagrants moved in, broke the windows and scattered medical records.
"When they shut this building down, they basically just locked the door and walked away. So everything was pretty much intact except that they are probably scattered all over the place now," Fields said.
Some of the records, scattered outside the former hospital, listed the names of patients admitted to Riverside General in 2011. That included Lucretia Schilling. KPRC 2 found her at home in southeast Houston.
"It concerns me a lot because it's my personal business," said Schilling.
"From what I understand, this is a huge violation of federal law," attorney Randy Sorrels said.
He said properly disposing of the records would mean shredding.
"The law requires they secure them in the most secure fashion possible and if they're ultimately going to close their practice, they have to be kept for a period of seven years," Sorrels said.
Harris County property tax rolls show that Polaris Health System owns the property that is valued at more than $10 million. KPRC 2 was not able to reach the owners of the property for comment.