A therapist at Advocate Good Samaritan hospital in Downers Grove was critically injured after being attacked by a patient, family says

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (WLS) — A psychiatric crisis therapist at a suburban hospital continues to recover from severe injuries after her family said she was attacked by a patient there.

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Her family tells ABC7 that Sandra Gatlin is not the same person who was critically injured during a brutal attack.

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“His speech is slow and slurred,” said Candice Gatlin, the victim’s daughter. “He will forget his words in the middle of the sentence”

Candice spoke on behalf of her mother, Sandra, a psychiatric crisis therapist at Advocate Good Samaritan hospital in Downer’s Grove.

Gatlin was at work on Oct. 30 and was keeping an eye on a patient who became agitated and lashed out during a violent attack captured on surveillance video.

He approached the patient Gatlin in the hallway and knocked him to the ground. Her dress fell off and the naked patient was seen punching Gatlin in the head several times.

Candice Gatlin said her 64-year-old mother suffered serious injuries, including a fractured skull, back fracture and impaired vision.

“You can see in the emergency room that his head hit a metal cart. That metal cart is where they believe his skull was fractured,” Candice said.

The patient, 40-year-old Adolfo Alvarado Saucedo, was sentenced to aggravated battery.

Violence against hospital staff is a disturbing trend across the country, according to Good Samaritan. A spokesperson said in a statement: “To help protect our teammates, we have a violence prevention program and policies that we continually evaluate and improve. When an incident occurs, we provide strong support for teammates.”

Candice Gatlin said she wants more safety precautions for staff. But for now, he said his mother has a long road to recovery.

He suffers from panic attacks and goes to therapy five days a week. One bright spot is that he is now out of the hospital.

“I think it was really good for her to finally be able to see her dog after almost a month in the hospital,” Candice said. “He’s the love of her life, so it was good.”