Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | June 26, 2017 | wbjournal.com C E N T R A L M AS S I N B R I E F A nurse was stabbed by a patient while on the job at at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge earlier this month, the latest in a string of attacks of healthcare workers while on the job. Attacks on nurses and other medical professionals while they're at work are common, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association. More than 70 percent of hospital emer- gency room nurses are assaulted during their career, meaning these nurses are assaulted on the job more often than police officers and prison guards. A 2016 nurses association survey found 86 percent experienced some vio- lence at work in the past two years. To help reduce those attacks, MNA has proposed a bill requiring healthcare employers to perform an annual safety risk assessment and, based on those find- ings, develop and implement programs V E R B A T I M Tuition hikes at UMass "We're going to try to keep it as low as we possibly can, but there is no question that given the budget situation, there has to be a tuition increase." Marty Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts system, on a pending 2-3 percent tuition increase at colleges like UMass Medical School Pot details "There are certain things that we have to clear up, and so because of that I think it's important that with a bill of this magnitude that we try to get it right or as close to right the first time, and so I'd rather do that than rush it." Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo, on pulling the House's proposed recreational marijuana legislation from a discussion after it was initially introduced Closer proximity "The move allowed us to expand key areas of our business, namely sales, engineering and marketing. Plus, it's more closely located for visitors coming from Boston Logan International Airport." Chris Van Veen, marketing manager of Headwall Photonics, on the company's expansion into Bolton Nurses push safety after Harrington stabbing BY LAURA FINALDI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Harrington officials have consulted safety officials to examine its security following a June 14 stabbing of one of its nurses. W minimizing the danger of workplace vio- lence to employees and patients. The legislation gives assaulted healthcare workers up to seven days off to address legal issues and requires semiannual reporting of assaults on employees. Violence against workers The legislation would have helped Miko Nakagawa, a registered nurse who was attacked by a patient Jan. 6 at UMass Memorial - HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster, she said in her testimony to a legislative committee. Nakagawa said she will have to use time off to meet with a victim's advocate, attend court hearings and go to trial, which can take years. "There are signs all over my hospital that say zero tolerance for violence. In reality, the hospital does tolerate vio- lence against its staff," she said in her testimony. "After I was assaulted, I received no support from the hospital when I sought to file charges against my assailant. I was not even allowed to talk to the hospital's attorney." Pat Noga, vice president for clinical affairs at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, called the MNA bill problematic, saying it could interfere with protocols in place at hospitals across the commonwealth, leaving them vulner- able to more safety threats. Hospitals are constantly looking to improve safety and security to respond to unforeseen situa- tions, said Noga. "Hospitals across the com- monwealth have well-established and stringent policies and procedures in place to address workplace violence, with oversight from state and federal accreditation bodies and regulators," Noga said. "These steps are constantly updated to reflect the latest input from safety and enforcement experts and best practices." The Harrington attack At 10:17 a.m. June 14, a nurse was stabbed by a patient after he cornered her in Harrington Hospital's triage area. The nurse was immediately cared for at Harrington and then transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. She is recovering, according to a statement from her family. The suspect in the Harrington stab- bing, 24-year-old Conor O'Regan of Southbridge, immediately fled the hos- pital following the incident and was apprehended by Southbridge police, according to the office of Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early. Early, who worked as a mental health attorney for 17 years, said he supports the MNA bill because it gives nurses another layer of protection. "One of my idols once told me that the more we learn about the brain, the less we know about mental health. We're getting better, but we have much further to go," said Early. "When you put nurses in tough roles, you have to give them every possible protection." After the attack, Harrington was put on lockdown, said Joseph Klimavich, a spokesman for the hospital. Public safe- ty workers, who were already stationed at the entrance to the emergency department, started screening everyone who presents in the emergency room while management discussed longer- term responses. "We have solicited guidance and sup- port from security professionals, state agencies and local law enforcement about how to create a safer work envi- ronment. We have identified a number of initiatives, with considerable staff involvement, that we will be pursuing," said Ed Moore, president and CEO of Harrington. Joseph Early, district attorney

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