Nurses are seeking safety improvements in the wake of a July 22 shooting at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Ore., that left a hospital security guard dead and another employee injured.
The Oregon Nurses Association is advocating for more safety precautions in hospitals, such as metal detectors and zero-tolerance policies for threatening behavior, to prevent another incident.
"Over the last three or four years, threats of physical violence have become so commonplace that we're beginning to just treat them as if they’re part of the daily job," Scott Palmer, ONA's chief of staff, told ABC affiliate KATU.
Data from the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications shows police have responded to 250 calls to Legacy Good Samaritan in the past year, and 38 have involved weapons, according to CBS affiliate KOIN.
Though Legacy Good Samaritan's emergency department has metal detectors, a former nurse at the hospital alleges there were many times it went unstaffed. The nurse, who wished to remain anonymous, left her role this year due to safety concerns.
Legacy Health posted the following statement on its website July 24:
"Legacy Health is grief-stricken from losing one of our security officers, Bobby Smallwood, to gun violence at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center on Saturday. We know you have many questions and are requesting interviews about this horrific event that occurred in a place of well-being and healing. We are focused on providing factual information to our employees and supporting those deeply impacted by this tragic event. We will provide additional information this week."