Three nurses at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center were seriously injured Oct. 11 after being struck by the driver of a vehicle who dropped off a gunshot victim outside the hospital's emergency department.
The incident occurred around 4 a.m. Oct. 11, according to Philadelphia police. After dropping off a shooting victim in the hospital's ambulance bay area, a silver Jeep Cherokee hit the wounded individual and three nurses who were attempting to care for the 28-year-old patient. Authorities have since recovered the vehicle, though are still searching for the driver.
The incident left a 36-year-old nurse, who suffered facial injuries and internal bleeding, in critical condition, police said. Two other nurses — a 37-year-old whose legs were injured and a 51-year-old who suffered injuries to his head and back — are in stable condition. All four individuals were being treated at Penn Presbyterian.
In a statement to NBC affiliate WCAU, a Penn Medicine spokesperson said the health system is providing resources to the shooting victim, injured nurses and their families, and condemned gun violence and violence against healthcare workers.
Kevin Mahoney, CEO, of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, echoed the sentiment in an Oct. 12 statement shared on LinkedIn.
"What happened early this morning at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center is a reminder of the tragic, far-reaching toll of gun violence on entire communities," Mr. Mahoney said.
"Violence against healthcare workers harms us all and is a corrosive, unacceptable threat our staff must cope with daily," he continued. "The nurses who were hurt today, along with their families, have our full support during their recovery, and we are here for their colleagues who are suffering from the often invisible, emotional wounds that ripple out from senseless violence. In this time of difficulty, we stand as a community, stronger together," he said.
Workplace violence in healthcare remains a critical challenge nationwide, with many clinicians reporting the issue has led them to change or leave jobs. In recent months, calls from within the industry for federal action to be taken to curb the issue have grown. In March, the presidents of the American Nurses Association, American College of Emergency Physicians and Emergency Nurses Association urged lawmakers to pass two bills aimed at strengthening safety protections for workers.