11 Investigates is examining the widespread and pervasive issue of violence against healthcare workers in our ongoing series, “Code Blue.”
Now we’re hearing from a group of local current and former nurses who say the industry is reaching a breaking point.
When asked if they have felt unsafe at work, all five nurses we sat down with raised their hands.
Lindsay, Heather, Cara and Alexis all work in Butler Memorial Hospital’s emergency room. Betsy is a retired nurse from the same hospital.
All five say they have been threatened and assaulted by patients, and their patience is running thin.
“I’ll kill your children. I’ll find out where you live,” Lindsay says one patient said to her.
Betsy retired over a year ago, not long after a terrifying assault.
“He was walking around, he didn’t have any clothes on, and he started banging his head,” she said.
She said she tried to stop the patient, Tyler Haman, from getting hurt.
“And he grabbed me and my little bun here, and he just started ripping the hair out with his teeth,” Betsy said.
She says the patient told her he would get away with it.
“I have a psych diagnosis. I have a get out of jail free card,” she explained.
Haman pleaded guilty to assault and did jail time. But many healthcare workers tell us that outcome is rare.
“I had a patient become upset and belligerent and intentionally spit in my face and tell me that they hoped I got COVID and died,” Cara said. “And the charges were dropped.”
“I think I’m the exception,” Betsy said.
11 Investigates, with the help of our data team, compiled a detailed survey. We worked with unions across Pennsylvania to send it to healthcare workers. We heard from more than 500 of them.
89 percent said they had experienced physical violence by a patient, and more than half of those (55 percent) said they were injured. 64 percent said they have had at least one physically violent encounter with a patient or visitor in the last year.
In March, Butler nurses rallied for safer working conditions. That same month Alexis and Heather were attacked and threatened.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Butler Memorial Hospital nurses picketing for safer conditions in workplace
“He said that he was gonna f-in kill me and that I was an f-in another four-letter word,” Heather said.
When they showed up for court, they say they were told it was continued but received no notification in advance.
We have heard horrific stories across the state, medical workers who were left black and blue, bruised and bloodied.
“Our families deserve to have us come home at night,” Lindsay said. “That’s not an outrageous expectation.”
Federal data shows health care workers are more likely to suffer workplace violence than any other profession.
“There’s that thought in the back of your mind of where am I failing, what am I doing wrong? What should I be doing more to prevent the situation from happening?” Heather asked. “There’s a level of embarrassment and almost a level of shame that goes with it.”
This group of frontline workers says the entire profession is reaching a breaking point.
“It is – for far too long has been completely ignored,” Heather said.
“What happens if it continues to be ignored?” asked Investigative Reporter Jatara McGee.
“Something horrific like what happened at UPMC Memorial. We have a mass shooting. We have something awful,” Cara said.
“But unfortunately, it takes for something bad like that to happen before you see a reaction,” Alexis said.
Independence Health System released the following statement to 11 Investigates: “At Independence Health System, the safety and security of our patients, staff and visitors are our highest priorities. We are deeply committed to maintaining an environment where everyone feels safe and valued. While we do not disclose specific details about our advanced security protocols, we continuously monitor, review, and enhance our security measures, as well as foster a culture of preparedness and collaboration with our staff, on-site security, and local authorities. Through our dedication to safety, our goal is that all our facilities remain secure and welcoming places for everyone who walks through our doors.”
One week after the Butler nurses’ union voted to strike in May, the hospital agreed to a new contract, which included several safety improvements.
They include closing an entrance to the hospital to visitors, adding a metal detector to an entrance and adding more nurses and an additional security guard to the emergency room.
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