Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | May 14, 2018 | wbjournal.com A year after a Harrington nurse was stabbed, few hospitals have implemented enhanced security An issue of grave concern BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor A er a Harrington Hospital nurse was stabbed by a pa- tient last June, the hospital wasted no time in taking a new safety measure. It in- stalled metal detectors at its emergency department, becoming what it says is the first hospital in the state to do so. "Initially, I think the public was appre- hensive, but since then I think it's sort of become the norm," said Harry Lemieux, Harrington's vice president of support services and chief information officer. e hospital that successfully helped Harrington nurse Elise Wilson recover from the stabbing, UMass Memorial Medical Center, took action, too. It installed metal detectors at its emergen- cy departments last year at its University and Memorial campuses, and this spring conducted active-shooter training. "It was one of our own, and that hit the staff really hard," Candra Szymanski, UMass' associate chief nursing officer for emergency services and critical care, said of the attack on Wilson. Nearly a year aer the incident, Har- rington and UMass are among the few hospitals in the state to have shorn up security, particularly in screening people who enter emergency rooms. No other Massachusetts hospitals appear to have taken steps as UMass and Harrington have, based on WBJ's research and interviews with the hospitals and nurses associations. Doing it their own way e Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association said it doesn't keep track of such actions by its members. "Massachusetts hospitals prioritize the safety of their patients, staff, and the general public within the hospital setting as an ongoing part of their missions," Anuj Goel, vice president of legal and regulatory affairs for the association, said in a statement. "MHA member facilities are consid- ering and exploring a variety of security measures, including metal detectors where appropriate," Goel said. "Hospi- tals continually work to balance safety concerns with the need to ensure timely access to all emergency and medically necessary services, given each facility's unique settings and resources." In Boston, Tus Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children said it has taken several steps, including tripling its public safety presence in its emergency department and inpatient psychiatry units. It now has more than 20 sworn police officers at the hospital, who have the ability to make arrests. Staff training for responding to aggres- sive behavior and crisis prevention has been expanded, and meetings each shi in the emergency department include public safety officers to discuss patient safety, Tus said. e hospital said the increased measures weren't taken in response to any particular incident. One notorious incident in 2015 at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Bos- ton did spur discussions about security needs at hospitals. A surgeon, Michael Davidson, was shot to death by a patient's son. Hospitals said in news reports aerward adding tighter security was a complicated challenge, with so many entrances and staff, patients and visitors coming and going. e Brigham declined to comment for this story. Other area hospitals didn't return messages seeking comment. Health workers at higher risk e Massachusetts Nurses Association helped cra legislation last year, named Elise's Law aer the Harrington nurse, to require healthcare employers to hold annual safety risk assessments, and to de- velop and implement workplace violence prevention plans based on the findings. at legislation has not passed, despite a favorable report out of the Joint Commit- tee on Labor and Workforce Develop- ment, according to the association. "is has become really – with Elise and other incidents – an issue of great, great concern," said David Schildmeier, the association's spokesman. e association is pushing for changes in nurses unions' contracts to include better staffing levels, training or even exterior lighting – all aimed at making hospitals safer for staff. "Too many hospitals are not taking it seriously enough, or they could do more," Schildmeier said. Last month, the Massachusetts Medi- cal Society announced a policy opposing so-called concealed carry reciprocity, federal legislation in which all states would have to recognize concealed-carry permits from other states. Massachusetts has among the strictest gun-control laws in the country. Healthcare professionals are slightly more likely to be victims of workplace violence, according to a 2011 U.S. De- partment of Justice report, which appears to be the most recent comprehensive study of its kind. In all, 5.1 workers out of every 1,000 were reported victims, compared to 6.5 percent for health care. For mental health professionals, though, the rate spiked to 20.5 percent. A 2012 study by the Annals of Emergency Medicine found emergency departments were the most common site of hospital shootings (29 percent of A metal detector at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge was installed just weeks after a nurse there was attacked by a patient. PHOTOS/GRANT WELKER PHOTO/SUBMITTED Security guards (from left) Sidone Santos, Jonathan Evangelou and Jose Matias of the company Securitas stand waiting a visitor at UMass Memorial Medical Center's Memorial Campus.

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