LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — A Palms West Hospital Nurse remains in critical condition after she was brutally attacked by a patient last week.
The victim, 67-year-old Leelamma Lal, was caring for 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury when he allegedly jumped on top of his bed and then onto the nurse and attacked her, People reports. Police said in a probable cause affidavit that “essentially every bone in the victim’s face is broken and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes” as a result. Lal was so badly injured that she had to be airlifted to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
Scantlebury fled the hospital after the attack before being apprehended by Palm Beach County deputies as he walked shirtless down nearby Southern Boulevard with EKG leads still attached to his chest.
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Scantlebury has been charged with second-degree attempted murder. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that the suspect will also face a hate crime enhancement, noting he “made utterances” about the victim’s gender, race or religion but did not specify which one. Scantlebury’s first court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 25.
Scantlebury was brought to the hospital under Florida’s Baker Act, a law that allows for involuntary commitment of people who are a danger to themselves or others. Deputies said Scantlebury had been acting paranoid for several days, accusing family members of doing things they were not involved in. He was being temporarily held at Palms West because a bed was not available at a Baker Act receiving facility, which requires different licensing from he state, according to WPBF.
Dr. Carol Milliken, president of the Florida Emergency Nurses Association, told WPTV that nurses in Baker Act-receiving facilities undergo hands-on training to manage psychiatric patient care while nurses in other medical settings receive psychiatric care training online as one part of a broader training module that covers multiple areas of care.
Healthcare Workers Rally to Support Palms West Hospital Nurse
Hundreds of healthcare workers wore scrubs to a rally this weekend at Jerome Golden Center to support Lal and demand better job protections, the Palm Beach Post reports.
“It’s happening so close to home,” said Meghan Marks, a nurse who helped organize the event. “We’re making a statement for our nursing community that there needs to be safer policies in place for all in the health care professions.”
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Rally attendees signed a massive card for Lal and many held signs demanding better hospital safety protections. A GoFundMe page set up for Lal has also received more than $100,000 in donations.
Lal’s children, Cindy Joseph and Chris Lal, are also calling for “urgent” improvements to hospital security.
“I’m just so mad at the situation and saddened. She is 67 years old, she could have retired a long time ago but she chose to be a nurse and to keep caring for patients,” aid Joseph. “I’m angry. Angry at the assailant, angry at the hospital system, angry that this happened to her.”
