PHILADELPHIA — A patient stabbed two employees with a needle and injured several others Wednesday afternoon.
Philadelphia Police said a 39-year-old man was taken to the emergency room at Temple University Hospital’s Episcopal Campus after reportedly showing signs of an overdose and displaying violent and agitated behavior, according to NBC Philadelphia. While being treated by ER staff, the man knocked a hypodermic needle away from a nurse and stabbed a security guard in the arm.
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When an employee tried to intervene, the man stabbed them twice in the forearm with the needle and attempted to stab another employee in the face. A nurse was also knocked unconscious when she was hit in the face with an elbow and another security guard was also assaulted. All four of the victims are in stable condition. Other patients in the ER during the incident were not injured. The suspect is facing several charges, including assault and reckless endangerment.
“The safety of our employees, patients and visitors is our first priority at Temple University Hospital – Episcopal Campus,” Temple Health wrote in a statement. “We are working with police as they continue to investigate this incident. We are offering onsite support and resources to those impacted.”
Pennsylvania Nurses Union: Hospital Workplace Violence on the Rise
The incident comes as nurses and hospital worker unions say workplace violence is on the rise at Pennsylvania healthcare facilities, ABC 6 reports.
“Hit, choked, spit on, any of those incidents happen daily. Those are daily incidents. The statistic that we are five times more likely to experience this is concerning,” said Maureen May, a registered nurse at Temple University Hospital and president of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP). “We’re nurses and healthcare workers, we are not police, we are not prevention specialists, we are there to help patients and we also need the protection in place so we can protect our patients.”
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PASNAP, which does not represent Episcopal Campus workers, urges lawmakers to pass a House bill introduced by State Representative Leanne Krueger requiring healthcare facilities to develop protection plans, report incidents, and provide mandatory staff training.
“Studies show that healthcare workers are five times more likely to be assaulted in the workplace than in any other profession. Recently, we’ve seen an uptick in violence, not only in our state but across the nation in healthcare institutions,” said Debbie White, RN, president of Health Professionals & Allied Employees (HPAE), which represents the employees injured during Wednesday’s attack. “Employers must develop vigorous violence prevention programs with committees that meet regularly to assess the risks and develop strategies and training to minimize the threat of violence against their employees. Healthcare workers have a right to a safe workplace.”
