NAPA, Calif. — Nearly 350 employees attended a two-hour rally at Napa State Hospital on Jan. 19 to protest the lack of sufficient security on hospital grounds. The rally comes three months after a psychiatric technician was murdered by a violent patient and one month after a rehabilitation therapist was attacked and hospitalized by another patient.
The hospital is significantly understaffed, which has proved dangerous as 90 percent of the patients come from the criminal justice system, the Napa Valley Register reports. Employees are asking that a better alarm system be implemented and that more police officers are hired.
Jennifer Turner, spokeswoman for the Department of Mental Health, issued a statement saying that the hospital has developed new policies pertaining to grounds access. The hospital is also making an effort to enhance police presence and assess security.
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