NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Four Newton-Wellesley Hospital staff members were injured during an altercation with a patient on July 24, officials said.
A patient in the behavioral health unit was involved in an altercation with five staff members, four of whom were treated and released, officials said.
After public safety officers responded and de-escalated the situation, the patient received treatment, and the Department of Mental Health was notified, officials said.
In a statement, hospital officials wrote: “Immediately following the incident, our public safety officers increased their presence on both inpatient psychiatry units supplementing their usual rounding throughout the hospital. Newton-Wellesley Hospital also routinely trains our employees on de-escalation techniques and employees on this unit had recently completed de-escalation exercises designed to address incidents like these. Newton-Wellesley Hospital takes incidents such as these very seriously and the safety of our patients and staff are always our top priorities.”
The Massachusetts Nurses Association told 7NEWS they were just on Beacon Hill testifying in support of a bill about workplace safety.
The bill would require health care employers to conduct an annual safety risk assessment in order to minimize the danger of workplace violence.
They say 70 percent of emergency nurses have been assaulted over the course of their careers.
“This is not a new phenomenon. Unfortunately, it is widely underreported,” said Massachusetts Nurses Association Task Force on Workplace Violence Chair Karen Coughlin. “That is just one of the things that is very well documented through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, through the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, through numerous medical journals and publications so it is just horrific when you hear it continuing.”
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