Local hospital security strong in light of Chicago shooting

November 20, 2018 4:03 pm

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WLNE) — The tragic shooting in a Chicago hospital is now raising concerns about hospital security here at home. Hospitals have active shooter procedures in place but events like this force them to re-examine how effective they are.

Tons of people go in and out of hospitals every day. That’s why at Sturdy Memorial in Attleboro, every employee is trained not only for an active shooter situation but also to pick up on out of the ordinary behaviors.

A place where you go expecting to heal shattered by yet another shooting. Four people killed in a Chicago hospital.

“I think violence in general unfortunately in the hospital setting is increasing in incidence and we’re looking at that more closely,” says Dr. Brian Patel, the Chief of the Emergency Department at Sturdy Memorial.

Dr. Patel also oversees Sturdy Memorial’s Emergency Management Department. He says patients and families should feel safe here.

“We have strong security presence, we have processes in place to address any safety issues that may arise,” he says.

Surveillance cameras inside and outside of the hospital are monitored 24/7. Every employee is trained for an active shooter situation and they review the policy regularly.

“It’s on our badges, we have blue cards that talk about the process for how to handle an active shooter and everyone is aware of it. Unfortunately incidents like yesterday make us always re-look at it and make sure everything is as strong as it should be,” says Dr. Patel.

Because so many people go in and out of the hospital they’re trained to recognize anyone who may be out of place.

“Part of that is also being able to identify patients or people who aren’t supposed to be in the area that they’re in. Employees also go through training on how to manage aggressive behavior,” he says.

A lot of those measures are also taken at Rhode Island Hospital. A representative for Lifespan says their security staff is trained to de-escalate situations and they work closely with local police to provide extra protection.