Safety

Visitation policies reviewed after NC hospital shooting

Hospital Safety Connection, February 17, 2010

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An altercation at a nightclub led to an alleged shooting at a nearby hospital’s emergency department, and now officials there are reviewing how visitors are allowed to see patients.
 
On Monday, a man was stabbed during a fight at a club in McColl, NC. He went to Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, NC, for treatment, reported the The Fayetteville Observer.
 
Another man, who knew one of the people involved in the earlier fight, walked into the hospital and allegedly said he was the victim’s brother, which he wasn’t. When he entered the victim’s room, he allegedly shot him at least two times, according to The Observer.
 
The suspect also allegedly tried to shoot the victim’s girlfriend, but the gun jammed, police told The Observer.
 
The suspect ran out of the hospital, which went into lockdown for two hours. Police later caught the suspect outside the hospital. The victim will likely survive the shooting.
 
A counselor talked to hospital staff Tuesday morning about the incident, and hospital officials will evaluate visitation policies, The Observer reported.
 
Some hospitals have told HCPro in the past that they apply VIP status to patients who have been victims of violence, which limits access to the patients if there is any risk of follow-up aggression towards them.



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