Attacks on Hospitals Mean Health Care is One of the U.S. ’ s Most Violent Fields

Word spread through an Oregon hospital last month that a visitor was causing trouble in the maternity ward, and nurses were warned the man might try to abduct his partner’s newborn. Hours later, the visitor opened fire, killing a security guard and sending patients, nurses and doctors scrambling for cover. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The shooting at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland was part of a wave of gun violence sweeping through U.S. hospitals and medical centers, which have struggled to adapt to the growing threats. Such attacks have helped make health care one of the nation’s most violent fields. Data shows American health care workers now suffer more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession, including law enforcement. “Health care workers don’t even think about that when they decide they want to be a nurse or a doctor. But as far as actual violence goes, statistically, health care is four or five times more dangerous than any other profession,” said Michael D’Angelo, a former police officer who focuses on health care and workplace violence as a security consultant in Florida. Other industries outpace health care for overall danger, including deaths. Similar shootings have played out in hospitals across the country. Read More: The Tulsa Shooting Is a Reminder Health Care Workers Face Violence Every Day Last year, a man killed two ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized wire Source Type: news