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Vigilant staff make a difference

Tip Of The Week, April 4, 2007

Last week a TV reporter was arrested on attempted kidnapping charges after she snooped around hospital maternity wards, but coverage of the incident seemed to miss a big point:

Staff in both facilities--Baptist St. Anthony's Hospital and Northwest Texas Hospital, both in Amarillo, TX--took the initiative to alert police about a suspicious person in perhaps the most security-sensitive area of any medical center, according to the Amarillo Daily News.

This is a good lesson for all staff about how a watchful eye can make a difference in keeping patients safe, even if a threat is only perceived.

The reporter worked for KCBD Channel 11 in Lubbock, TX, and was conducting an investigative piece about the security measures in maternity wards without the knowledge of police or the hospitals. A few weeks back, a woman successfully kidnapped a baby from Covenant Medical Center Lakeside in Lubbock. The infant was later found unharmed.

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