Five years after brutal murder, hospital seeks to balance treatment with security
Hospital Safety Insider, October 22, 2015
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Hospital Safety Insider!
October 23 marks a somber anniversary for the staff at Napa State Hospital in California. In 2010, psychiatric technician Donna Gross was murdered by one of her patients-grabbed, dragged, and strangled to death.
While many staff members at hospitals deal with the risk of patient violence, about 80% of the population of Napa State, a psychiatric hospital managed by California's Department of State Hospitals, committed horrific crimes but were found not guilty by reason of insanity or incompetent to stand trial.
The 2010 murder, chronicled in this report from KQED-TV, sparked a facility-wide review of safety measures, including the addition of alarms outside the facility, where Gross was murdered. All facility staff now carry a personal alarm system with GPS to help hospital police respond more quickly to emergencies anywhere on the grounds, according to the report.
Despite the danger of being around criminals with dangerous behavioral health issues, staff members say violence is a part of the job and that they feel that the patients still deserve to be treated with dignity.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Hospital Safety Insider!
Related Products
-
Hospital Safety Center
Improve compliance with hospital safety standards from The Joint Commission, OSHA, and other regulators with this...
-
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance
Created exclusively for healthcare facility managers, plant operations professionals, and directors of engineering, this...
-
Hospital Safety Insider
Stay on top of hospital safety requirements and best practices with our free, fast-paced weekly update.
-
Basic OSHA Compliance Manual Kit
Total compliance has never been easier. This one convenient package contains everything you need to ensure your outpatient...
-
Basic Dental OSHA Compliance Manual Kit
Total compliance has never been easier. This one convenient package contains everything you need to ensure your dental...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Note similarities and differences between HCPCS, CPT® codes
- Differentiate between types of wound debridement
- Know guidelines and subtle differences in code descriptions for laceration repairs
- Don’t forget the three checks in medication administration
- Practice the six rights of medication administration
- Maryland health system locked out of network by ransomware
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- Safety Month showcase: Tips for assessing behavioral health units for ligature risks
- What is the difference between an IPA and a medical group?
- Reimbursement for Facility and Professional Services in a Provider-Based Department by Gina M. Reese, Esq., RN
- E-mailed
-
- Safety Month showcase: Tips for assessing behavioral health units for ligature risks
- Q&A: Emergency room documentation and radiology reports
- Note from the Instructor: Provider-Based vs. Freestanding Locations: Financials Flip-flop with New Packaging
- Is it a HIPAA violation for physicians to take patient charts home?
- Infection control violation for storing cardboard boxes
- HIPAA Q&A: Transporting records to satellite clinic
- Differentiate between types of wound debridement
- Correct use of modifier -AY for ESRD
- Coding Clinic for CDI:Reassessing debridement documentation
- Clear up confusion surrounding observation services
- Searched