Becker's Hospital Review

86 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Dartmouth dismisses online cheating allegations against med students By Kelly Gooch H anover, N.H.-based Dartmouth College is dismissing an in- vestigation into whether some students at its medical school cheated while taking online exams, The New York Times reported June 10. The allegations surfaced earlier this year that students used their online coursework management system, Can- vas, during remote closed-book exams. According to the Times, Dartmouth charged 17 students with cheating af- ter a review of Canvas data, and sev- en of the cases were dropped after some students argued that adminis- trators were incorrectly associating automated activity on Canvas for hu- man cheating. Allegations against the remaining 10 students have now also been dropped. "I have decided to dismiss all the hon- or code charges," Geisel School of Medicine Dean Duane Compton, PhD, said in an email to the Geisel commu- nity June 9, according to the Times, adding that the issue would not affect students' academic records. "I have apologized to the students for what they have been through." After the cheating allegations sur- faced, some of the accused students faced expulsion, suspension course failures and misconduct marks on their records, and the Times also did a soft- ware review, which showed Canvas ac- tivity data could be automatically gen- erated from students' devices when students weren't using them, accord- ing to the report. The allegations also led to protests on campus, as well as outcry from the student government, faculty members and technology experts. In his email, Dr. Compton said, "We will learn from this, and we will do better."n North Carolina in mental health state of emergency, providers say By Mackenzie Bean N orth Carolina's behavioral health crisis has reached a state of emergen- cy, the North Carolina Healthcare Association and 11 other groups said in a June 14 letter to lawmakers. The North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians, North Carolina Nurses Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC are among the 11 other groups that penned the letter. The groups said they're seeing skyrocketing demand for mental health ser- vices that cannot be met by the state's current mental health system. As of December 2020, nearly 40 percent of emergency room visits involving children were for behavioral health concerns, state hospital data shows. In the last decade, hospitals have also reported a 91 percent increase in involuntary commitments. "Quite simply, the behavioral health crisis across North Carolina has reached a state of emergency, and we urgently need your leadership and collaboration to address it," the organizations said in the letter addressed to Gov. Roy Cooper, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and Speaker of the House Tim Moore. "Given the once-in-a-lifetime federal resources to address health inequities exacerbated by COVID-19, we have an extraordinary opportunity to build the comprehensive treatment system our citizens deserve," they added, request- ing a meeting with the state leaders to discuss the issue.n Oregon hospital board blindsided by staffing crisis By Morgan Haefner T he advisory board for Oregon State Hospital was unaware of the seriousness of a staff- ing shortage that forced the hospital to ask for help from the National Guard, accord- ing to a June 8 report published by the Salem Reporter. In May, Oregon State Hospital requested 30 registered nurses from the National Guard to address a staffing shortage at the Salem-based psychiatric facility. e hospital's 16- member advisory board, which advises Oregon Health Authority leaders on care and safety at the facility, learned about the worsening staffing crisis from news outlets and the community. "As Board members, we are expected to fulfill our charge, which includes making recom- mendations to the hospital regarding administrative rules, policies, procedures, and hospital protocols related to patients' safety, security, and care," according to the board's June 7 letter to the hospital's superintendent, cited by the Salem Reporter. "We were not allowed to do that in this instance." A need for workers comes as a third of Oregon State Hospital's nursing staff has been on COVID-19-related leave, according to the report. In a statement to the Salem Reporter, Oregon State Hospital spokesperson Rebeka Gip- son-King said while the hospital values working with the board, notifying it of all major decisions isn't always possible. "e Board provides an important oversight role for the hospital, and we continue to partner with them [on] significant hospital issues," Ms. Gipson-King said. "We'll be sure to provide thoughtful, comprehensive responses to all of the questions in their letter." n

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