Last month, a visitor to the maternity department in an Oregon hospital caused a disturbance, prompting nurses to warn that the guy might try to kidnap his partner's unborn child.
A security guard was killed after the visitor opened fire hours later, sending patients, nurses, and medical staff running for shelter, as reported by The Associated Press.
Healthcare Violence in the US
(Photo : by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 2: Gloves and other medical supplies are seen at the site of a mass shooting in the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood on July 2, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. At least two people were killed and 28 others were wounded during the shooting at a block party on Saturday night.
In the United States, hospitals and medical facilities have been hit by a surge of gun violence, making it difficult for them to respond to the dangers. The shooting at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland was one example.
Healthcare is now among the country's most violent industries due to these assaults. American workers in the healthcare industry now experience more nonfatal injuries at work than in any other industry, including law enforcement.
Other industries outpace health care in terms of overall risk, including fatalities. Identical shootings have occurred in hospitals across the nation. Not only are there lethal shootings, but according to the US, 73 percent of all nonfatal workplace violence injuries occurred to healthcare employees in 2018.
According to a nurse with direct knowledge of the briefing, hospital staff members were warned during meetings the day before the shooting on July 22 in Portland to be ready for a potential "code amber" announcement in case the visitor attempted to kidnap the child. She talked under the condition of anonymity out of concern about workplace reprisals.
According to a timeline released by Portland police, a hospital employee contacted 911 fifteen minutes before the shooting to report that a visitor was endangering staff members.
In Portland, Legacy Health intends to add more metal detectors, mandate bag checks at every hospital, and direct patients and visitors to specific entrances. According to the hospital, more security personnel will be given stun guns, and the bullet-slowing film is being applied to certain inside glass and at important doors.
New Punishments for Violence Against Healthcare Workers
Laws raising or adding new punishments for violence against healthcare workers have been passed in almost 40 states. While certain jurisdictions, such as Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia, permit hospitals to establish their police forces, most hospitals employ armed security personnel with batons, stun guns, or firearms.
The health care and policing disparities Black people already face can be exacerbated. They claim that private police forces frequently are not required to reveal information on their use of force-frequency or whether they disproportionately detain people from minority groups.
In response to this violence, more states and jurisdictions have enacted new laws that increase the penalties for assaulting healthcare workers. These laws typically include longer jail sentences and steeper fines.
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