Therapist severely injured after being attacked by patient at Downers Grove hospital, 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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Sandra Gatlin is not the same person she was after suffering severe injuries during a brutal attack, her family told ABC7.

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"Her speech is slow and slurred," the victim's daughter, Candice Gatlin, said. "She'll forget her words in the middle of a sentence"

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

Gatlin was on the job October 30, keeping an eye on a patient who became agitated and lashed out in a vicious attack, which was caught on surveillance video.

In a hallway, the patient approached Gatlin and knocked her to the ground. His gown fell off, and the naked patient could be seen punching Gatlin several times in the head.

Candice Gatlin said her 64-year old mother suffered extensive injuries, including a cracked skull, fractured back and impaired eyesight.

'You can kind of see her head hit a metal cart in the ER," Candice said. "That metal cart is where they believe her skull cracked."

The patient, 40-year old Adolfo Alvarado Saucedo, was charged with aggravated battery.

According to Good Samaritan, violence against hospital staff members is a disturbing trend across the country. A spokesperson saying in a statement, "To help protect our teammates, we have a violence prevention program and policies that we continually evaluate and enhance. When an incident occurs, we have robust wrap around support for teammates."

Candice Gatlin said she would like to see more security measures in place for staff. But for now, she said her mother has a long road ahead for recovery.

She suffers from panic attacks and goes to therapy five days a week. One bright spot is that she's now out of the hospital.

"I think getting to see her dog, finally, after a month almost in the hospital, was really good for her," Candice said. "He's the love of her life, so that has been good."