Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare has filed a lawsuit against a patient who has refused to leave her hospital room since being discharged in October, forcing the hospital to seek a court order and sheriff’s assistance to remove her. The hospital sued the patient earlier this month, asking a state judge in Tallahassee for an injunction ordering the patient to vacate the hospital room and authorizing the county sheriff’s office to assist if necessary.

“Defendant’s continued occupancy prevents use of the bed for patients needing acute care,” the hospital said in the lawsuit. The hospital said that resources have been diverted from helping other patients because of her occupation of the room. According to the lawsuit, the woman was admitted to the hospital for medical treatment and a formal discharge order was issued Oct. 6 after it was determined that she no longer needed acute care services.

The hospital has repeatedly made efforts to coordinate her departure with family members and offered transportation to obtain necessary identification, the lawsuit said. Rachel Givens, an attorney for the hospital, said Wednesday that the hospital had no comment. The hospital didn’t respond to emailed questions, including about what type of identification the patient needed.

The lawsuit doesn’t say what the patient was treated for, what her hospital bill was or how she was able to stay at the hospital for more than five months despite being discharged. No attorney was listed for the patient, who is representing herself. Phone numbers listed in an online database for the patient were disconnected, and no one answered the phone when a call was put through to her room at the hospital.

Under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals that receive Medicare funds must provide treatment that stabilizes anyone coming to an emergency department with an emergency medical condition, even if the patient doesn’t have insurance or the ability to pay. The law requires hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment but does not mandate indefinite housing for patients who no longer require acute medical care.

An online court hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for the end of the month.