PHILADELPHIA — An Einstein Medical Center security officer is being credited with helping to save a suicidal man’s life at the facility.
Venus Powell-Uzzell, 37, received a call on Sept. 15 that a man was trying to jump off the roof of the hospital’s seven-story garage. She was the first to arrive at the scene, and found a man on a steel railing with his feet hanging off.
A former corrections officer with training in hostage negotiations, Powell-Uzell calmly spoke to the man, encouraging him to come off the ledge. Powell-Uzzell was the only officer at the scene for 10 minutes. When local police arrived, a lieutenant helped the man down, Philly.com reports.
Powell-Uzzell’s supervisors have nominated her for awards of valor in several professional security organizations. Additionally, the local police agency has also nominated her for a civilian award.
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