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Utah hospital taking new security measures

Healthcare Security Weekly, July 9, 2007

Hospital administrators at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City are putting new security procedures in place after the June 25 deadly shooting of a corrections officer by an inmate, reported the Salt Lake Tribune.

The inmate, who was undergoing an MRI, wrested a gun from the guard and shot him in the head. Hospital officials met with Utah Department of Corrections and police to discuss how to improve security procedures when treating inmates. New procedures now in effect, according to the newspaper, include:

• Two corrections officers must escort all corrections and Salt Lake County jail inmates who will wear wrist and ankle restraints.
• The agencies must provide the hospital with a summary of inmate history and risk before a prisoner is treated.
• Corrections and jail officers will decide whether it is appropriate to remove any restraints.
•  Hospital staff will not request restraints be removed unless it is necessary in a physical exam or procedure.
• When feasible, a telemedicine network will be used to avoid transporting inmates to the hospital.

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