Nurses responding to an April 3 medical emergency call at Shuman Juvenile Detention Center were not told a teen resident had attempted to hang himself, delaying arrival of a defibrillator, which then fell apart because it had been improperly stored.

Although the teen did not suffer serious complications, "the issues present as a result of this situation could have created a scenario with a different outcome," according to an investigation by the state Department of Public Welfare.

The agency has told Shuman officials to review the facility's emergency response policies, and maintain its automated external defibrillator, or AED, to ensure it is fully functional.

As part of Shuman's plan of correction, Deputy Director Lynette Drawn-Williamson told state officials that a day shift nurse will check the AED daily, and that Shuman has updated its medical policies, including its emergency medical plan.

The teen, whose name and age were not made public, was found on Unit G at Shuman about 10 a.m. April 3 after he tried to hang himself with a sock tied to his bedpost.

The nursing staff was alerted to a medical emergency but, according to the DPW investigation, the unit staff did not respond when the nurse asked what equipment would be needed.

"When the nurse arrived, the necessary medical equipment was not in the emergency bag," the investigation found. Also, it stated that "there are discrepancies" in reports that unit staff and supervisors "refused to respond to requests for assistance to the nurse."

"To further complicate matters, when the second nurse responded with the AED, the equipment had been improperly stored and had fallen apart." The report does not say how long treatment was delayed.