Author Archives: Caroline Ramsey-Hamilton

4 Nurses were Awarded a $ 7.8 Million Dollar Settlement, after they were attacked in 2017 at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital

Background
The four nurses sued  Kane County, Illinois; Deputy Shawn Loomis, who was guarding the inmate, identified as Tywon Salters; and Apex 3 Security LLC, the hospital’s security contractor over the 2017 incident.

The inmate, had been hospitalized for surgery after he ate a plastic jail sandal.  He had been in restraints, but Deputy Loomis had unshackled him to use the restroom.  The inmate went to the restroom, and Loomis failed to re-shackle him when he returned.  Salters overpowered the Deputy and took his gun.  

Nurse Taken Hostage
He then took Nurse #1 hostage at gunpoint, taking her to an office and demanding she give him her clothes. Then Nurse #2 entered the room, and Salters took her hostage. He took both women to the first floor ambulance bay. When Salters saw police arriving, he forced her into a decontamination room, where he held her for several hours at gunpoint. According to the lawsuit, Salters hit Nurse #2 with the gun, threatened to kill her, and raped her.

Inmate Prisoner Killed by Police
The police records said he used Nurse #2’s smartphone to call his relatives and to talk to the police.  When the  officers heard him fire the gun, they ran into the room and killed Salters.  In the settlement, Nurse #1 received $ 7.2 million dollars;  Nurse #2 received $ 650,000, and two other nurses, who were on the third floor, each received $25,000.  The nurses were never publically identified.

 
In court, the nurses claimed that the hospital and Kane County deputies, and the security company knew that Salters was a danger to himself and others, because he had been hospitalized the week before for swallowing hydrogen peroxide at the jail and had been placed on suicide watch.  The lawsuit said that Salter previously served time in prison for armed robbery, he knew if he was convicted of another felony he would face a sentence of six to 30 years.

A Danger to Himself & Others
They also said that in the days before the incident, nurses had seen Kane County deputies using their personal cellphones and laptop computers when they were watching Salters, and that one had been caught sleeping.  They also said that when Deputy Loomis was attacked, he did not report it, but hid in a hospital room.


LESSONS   LEARNED:
1.  Inmates who are being treated in a hospital frequently try to use violence to escape.  They make the calculation that it’s much easier to escape from a lightly guarded hospital, than a secured jail or prison.
Deputies and security officers need to maintain a high level of vigilance.

THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report©

For more information and a free subscription:  write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com    We provide security and risk assessments, and certify Hospital and Healthcare Facilities for Active Shooter Assessments,  Active Shooter Training and Tabletop Drills, as well as Healthcare CMS All-Hazards Hospital & Healthcare Facility Risk Assessments and more. Find out more at  www.riskandsecurityllc.com .

Four (4) Dead in Shooting Rampage at Mercy Hospital, Chicago. Victims included Young Police Officer, an Emergency Room Doctor, a Pharmacist, and the shooter. Witnesses Report Total Chaos as the Doctor’s ex-Fiance Attacked and Killed Her

RISKAlert Report #1094 November 20, 2018                                                                    Chicago, Illinois 

A young Chicago police officer, an ER Doctor and Pharmacist were killed in an attack at a South Side hospital Monday afternoon that sent medical personnel and police running through the hospital’s halls, stairwells and even the nursery in search of victims and the shooter before he was found dead from a gunshot to the head.

Police had been called to the hospital after the ex-finance,  Juan Lopez, 32, confronted emergency room doctor Tamara O’Neal, apparently over a “broken engagement,” sources said.   By the time police arrived on the scene,  Lopez had shot O’Neal repeatedly, standing over her as he fired the last shots, according to police sources and witnesses.  “When they pulled up, they heard the gunshots, and they did what heroic officers always do — they ran toward that gunfire”, said Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.

Michael Davenport, Mercy’s chief medical officer, said the hospital had conducted an active shooter drill last month. About 200 patients were being treated in the hospital on Monday, but authorities only evacuated the emergency room. The hospital’s emergency plans include barricading doors and ensuring patient safety. 

Witnesses reported total confusion initially; when it was unclear how many people had been shot, how many police were there, and how many shooters there were.  As dispatchers and responding officers tried to make sense of the scene, reports came in of an officer shot somewhere in the lobby, a woman and an assistant also wounded. Finally, there was word of the gunman apparently shot in the head.

LESSONS LEARNED: 

1.    Hospital reported it held Active Shooter training last month, but the scene was still total
chaos as the shooter ran into the hospital, firing randomly.

2.    The hospital incident response plan was not effective in controlling the panic that ensured,
with hospital staff, visitors in the ER,  and others were left terrified

THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report©

For more information and a free subscription:  write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com 
We provide and certify the best Facilities Active Shooter Assessments,  Active Shooter
Training and Tabletop Drills, as well as HIPAA Risk Analyses, and Healthcare CMS All-Hazards
Hospital & Healthcare Facility Risk Assessments.

Find out more at  www.riskandsecurityllc.com .

Chicago Hospital Ordered to Pay More than $10 Million Dollars to a Female Doctor and 6 Nurses who Filed a Lawsuit for Two Separate Harassment Incidents Including Being Choked by a Doctor, and Another Doctor who installed a Toilet Cam in the Women’s Locker Room

RISKAlert  Report #1073                                      Sept. 19, 2018                                       Chicago, Illinois

The former employees of Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago won a lawsuit against the
hospital after reporting that hospital doctors harassed them.  The Chicago Tribune reported that the hospital received
reports about violent incidents but did nothing.  The women accused the hospital of failing to act
when violations of the hospital own written policies were reported and then ignored

$7 million of the total amount was awarded to Dr. Caroline Ryan, an anesthesiologist who was choked and
pushed by Dr. Stephen F. Laga, in 2013. The attack was witnessed by several hospital staff members

and also by patients.  Dr. Ryan was asked by hospital administration to drop her report against Laga, who
had a “long and documented” history of violent behavior, says the complaint.   Laga was never disciplined.

The following year, a hidden camera was found on the toilet (Potty Cam?) in the women’s locker room where
women changed clothes and used the restroom.  The camera was planted by Dr. Robert Weiss, an eye surgeon
at Illinois Masonic, who viewed and possibly shared the content.
Weiss was arrested when the camera was
discovered. Although aware of his arrest, the hospital delayed suspending Weiss’ medical privileges
.

The women’s complaint also pointed out that the hospital had ignored previous reports of inappropriate
sexual behavior from Weiss.  The six women were awarded $1.75 million for violations of their privacy and
an additional $2 million for punitive damages. The jury was sending a clear message”, said the women’s
attorney, Jeffrey Kulwin.  He said he believes doctor misconduct has been tolerated because of the money the
doctors bring in to the hospitals.

Today’s verdict against Advocate sends a strong message to Advocate, and employers everywhere,
that violence in the workplace cannot be tolerated, especially at a place as important as a hospital
,”

LESSONS LEARNED:

1.  Having, and Enforcing a strong policy against workplace violence and harassment is a critical
     component of creating a safe workplace, no matter who is being violent against others!

2.  The hospital lost the lawsuit because they blatantly refused to enforce their OWN POLICIES! 

THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report©

For more information write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com
We provide the best Facility Risk Assessments, as well as Active Shooter Assessments, Training,
Workplace  Violence Assessments, and  & CMS All Hazards Risk Assessments, Facility Drills &  Training.

www.riskandsecurityllc.com                                                           www.caroline-hamilton.com

#RiskAssessment                                       #CMSImmediateJeopardy                                       #HospitalViolence

A Hospital Employee at Kadlec Regional Medical Center came back to the hospital on his day off, threatening to kill other employees and himself. Other violent attacks on staff have also occurred recently including choking of a nurse in the ICU!

 

 

RISKAlert Report Updated: October 23, 2018                                                          Richland, Washington

A Hospital Employee at Kadlec Regional Medical Center came back to the hospital  on his day off, threatening to kill other employees and himself.  Other violent attacks n staff have also occurred recently including choking of a nurse in the ICU!

In a workplace violence incident on Oct. 18, 2018,  Kadlec employee Matt Ganz, 51, walked into the
hospital where he worked, on his day off and began talking to fellow co-workers about how he wanted to die by suicide and how he would kill others as well, said Lt. Chris Lee.

Several people called 911 to report seeing a man with a gun at the 270-bed hospital.  Richland police responded and were on the scene within a minute and a half. But Ganz was gone before Richland and Kennewick police along with deputies from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office finished searching the hospital.

Police continued to hunt for Ganz and officers finally found him about 40 minutes later on the 300 block of East Third Avenue drunk behind the wheel of his truck, police said.  He was booked into
the Benton County jail for making threats, for interfering with a health care facility and for driving
under the influence (DUI)

Kadlec Regional has experienced other incidents including multiple staff members who were hurt by patients, and it highlights the problem of workplace violence in healthcare. In one incident, a patient in the ER hurt 3 nurses, a doctor, and a security officer.  In another recent case, a patient in Intensive Care choked a  nurse, as she was trying to change his IV.

The nurse in question posted these remarks on Facebook, “Let me tell you, having a strong individual’s hands around your neck, the inability to breathe, let alone call for help, to the point where you can’t see a thing and can only hear an emergency “staff assist” tone going off, is one of the absolutely gut-wrenching, most terrifying feelings anyone could ever imagine. It didn’t help that it was preceded with the words “I’m gonna kill you.  Ashley Schade described in a Facebook post about the event that has now gone viral.

Both of those patients were charged with assault.

LESSONS LEARNED:

1.  Workplace Violence is still a major problem in healthcare, with most of the violent incidents
directed at nurses.  More needs to be done.

2.  Report every incident to management and increase staff  to avoid having nurses work alone.

THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report©

For more information and a free subscription:  write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com    We provide and certify the best Healthcare CMS All-Hazards Hospital & Healthcare  Facility Risk Assessments; Facilities Active Shooter Assessments,  Active Shooter Training and Tabletop Drills.

PHYSICIANS WANT TO CHANGE HOW HOSPITALS AND CARE FACILITIES RESPOND TO AN ACTIVE SHOOTER – MASS CASUALTY EVENT

RISKAlert Report # 1060  Updated:  Aug. 17, 2018                                                 Houston, Texas

PHYSICIANS WANT TO CHANGE HOW HOSPITALS AND CARE FACILITIES RESPOND
TO AN ACTIVE SHOOTER – MASS CASUALTY EVENT  

The New England Journal of Medicine  included an editorial by a group of physicians, including senior author, Kenneth Mattox, MD affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and Houston-based Ben Taub Hospital, said he hopes the modified strategy will become a national campaign, led by the American College of Surgeons and the Department of Homeland Security.

The physicians want the Department of Homeland Security slogan, Run-Hide-Fight, replaced by a new
strategy for hospitals, which they called, “secure, preserve, fight.”  

According to the group of physicians, For professionals providing essential medical care to patients who cannot run, hide, or fight owing to their medical condition or ongoing life-sustaining therapy, a different set of responses should be considered — secure the location immediately, preserve the life of the patient and oneself and fight only if necessary,” according to the editorial.

The physicians who wrote the editorial studied past active shooter events, and were concerned that many patients in a hospital are not able to evacuate due to their medical issues.  They did say that physicians, staff, patients and visitors should follow the “run, hide, fight” strategy if they can, the authors argue, the strategy does not work for incapacitated patients who may die if abandoned by caregivers who have an ethical duty not to abandon their patients.

One of the challenges they discussed include the actual hospital facility designs, which they said can also present a problem, with reliance on elevators and narrow stairwells, “target-rich chokepoints for a shooter” and large common areas with little furniture, intersecting walls or equipment to hide behind.

The authors recommended a “secure, preserve, fight” strategy that focuses on preparation, with designated areas having devices that can lock and secure doors and entry points. Lifesaving kits to treat excessive bleeding should also be placed throughout the facility.


LESSONS LEARNED
:

1.  Hospitals should discuss the care of these immobile patients in an active shooter incident
      and evaluate adding the secure, preserve, fight strategy.

2.  Every hospital should realize that violent is now endemic in healthcare, and should position
lifesaving supplies throughout the healthcare facility, nursing home, or nursing facility.


THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report
©

For more information and a free subscription:  write me at:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com

We provide and certify the best CMS All-Hazards Facility Risk Assessments &  Active Shooter Assessments and Training, and Tabletop Drills.  Find out more at  www.riskandsecurityllc.com

#Hospitalshooter                                           #ViolenceHospital                                    #ViolenceHealthcare

RISKAlert Report Updated: GUAM MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AT RISK OF LOSING CMS REIMBURSEMENTS

RISKAlert Report Updated:  July 15, 2018                                                                                

Guam Memorial Hospital is at risk of losing CMS Medicaid reimbursements, unless dozens of deficiencies
are fixed include medical issues and facility issues by July 25th according to scathing 78-page report
.

The island’s only public hospital could lose Medicare funding for the Skilled Nursing Unit (SNU)  by July 25th
and its main facility if it fails to achieve “substantial compliance” with the federal participation requirements
for nursing homes participating in the Medicare and/or Medicaid programs by July 25. It will deny to reimburse
admissions, and If substantial compliance is not achieved by Oct. 25, CMS will terminate the provider agreement.

In a scathing 78-page report, regulators reported the results of an unannounced survey which was done
for recertification, complaint revisit and complaint investigation and uncovered issues including not checking
credentials for medical personnel, not reporting medical errors, and medical issues that put patients in an
immediate jeopardy situation.

The report said GMH failed to ensure that its performance improvement activities tracked adverse patient events, analyzed the cause of the adverse event, and implemented preventive action, the survey report states. Major
adverse events that hurt patients were not reported even 12 months after the event had occurred.

The CMS survey took issue with egress doors that had locks that do not meet federal requirements. “Failure to provide egress doors as required increases the risk of death or injury due to fire,” the survey stated.  The facility also lacked proper emergency lighting. An emergency power supply location was not provided with battery-powered emergency lighting, and the primary generator did not have battery-powered light. A Battery-powered light in a secondary generator room was not functional when tested during the survey.


LESSONS LEARNED

1.  Losing CMS Certification may reduce the Guam Memorial Hospital’s revenue by 50-70%.
Make sure to keep your CMS Certification current  to avoid a financial crisis!

2.  Many deficiencies were blatant and cite recurring problems that MUST BE CORRECTED
IMMEDIATELY to avoid more problems.

THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report©
For more information and a free subscription:  write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com
We provide the best CMS Facility All-Hazards Risk Assessments, as well as Active Shooter Training,
Workplace Violence Assessments, and Mass Casualty Drills & Training Programs.

www.riskandsecurityllc.com   and   www.caroline-hamilton.com

MAN AT SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE STABS HIS MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER IN WORKPLACE VIOLENCE INCIDENT BEFORE BEING SHOT TO DEATH BY FEDERAL SECURITY OFFICER

RISKAlert Report Updated:  July 9, 2018                                                                                       McComb,  Mississippi

MAN AT SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE STABS HIS MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER IN WORKPLACE
VIOLENCE  INCIDENT BEFORE  BEING SHOT TO DEATH BY FEDERAL SECURITY OFFICER

A 21-year-old Mississippi man, Branen Carter, went into the McComb, MS, Social Security Administration office with his mother and grandmother, and then he stabbed his mother and grandmother in the lobby before he was shot to death by a federal FPS (Federal Protective Service) security officer. 

The incident happened at 11 am, and the facility was put on lockdown after the incident.  Large numbers of law enforcement officers responded to the one-story brick building on the edge of McComb, which is about 100 miles south of Jackson.

Carter’s mother, Lee Anna Turnage, and grandmother, Ann Carter, were in stable condition at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, after what was reported as a family fight that turned violent.

Mississippi court records show Branen Carter was indicted in Marion County in December 2016, when he was 20, on two felony charges — one count of statutory rape and one count of sexual battery of a child between the ages of 14 and 16.  He pleaded guilty in May 2017 after the two felony charges were reduced to misdemeanors (WHY?), and he was given two six-month suspended sentences, which means he did not have to serve jail time. The attorney who represented him was out of the office Monday and could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Director of Communications for the Federal Protective Service, Robert Sperling, said that the FPS agency has a long history of using armed security guards at federal agencies it oversees. “It’s a cornerstone. We have officers in social security offices and most federal agencies across the country, such as the IRS,” Sperling said.

LESSONS LEARNED:

      1.  Workplace Violence can happen anywhere, and family disputes often spill over into
public workplaces.  This attack happened in the lobby of the federal agency.

  1. The FPS did an excellent job of countering the threat and probably saved the
    lives of both women.


THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report©

For more information and a free subscription:  write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com
We provide the best Active Shooter and Facility Risk Assessments & Training Programs.

Find out more at   www.riskandsecurityllc.com .

#Stabbing     #WorkplaceViolence

NURSING HOME MAY LOSE CMS MEDICARE FUNDING AFTER RESIDENT IGNITED OXYGEN TANK WHILE SMOKING, CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED FOR 10 MINUTES

 

RISKAlert Report Updated:  July 5, 2018                                                                                           Helena, Montana

NURSING HOME MAY LOSE CMS MEDICARE FUNDING AFTER RESIDENT  IGNITED OXYGEN TANK WHILE
SMOKING, CAUGHT  FIRE AND BURNED FOR TEN MINUTES

Montana’s Health Department recently found that a Helena nursing home was neglecting patients, after an unsupervised resident smoking a cigarette on oxygen caught on fire and suffered second-degree burns in May.  The resident died several weeks later.  The facility had a new non-smoking policy in place.

As part of a CMS Survey, the Montana Department of Public Health &Human Services conducted a survey of Big Sky Healthcare Community after receiving a complaint about the facility. The survey found that the Helena facility neglected the resident when she was outside unsupervised on May 1.

The resident was on fire for approximately 10 minutes before staff reached her and called emergency medical services, according to a witness.  The survey also found the facility failed to report the incident, various staff members were unclear on the facility’s smoking policies and some residents were inappropriately left to administer their own medications.

The CMS Survey classified the incident as an “immediate jeopardy” situation, meaning the facility had to take immediate corrective actions to protect residents or risk losing its Medicare and Medicaid certification.  Big
Sky Healthcare successfully removed the immediate risk while the state workers were on site. The facility later had to submit a detailed corrective action plan to address all of the issues identified by the state.

The resident, who is not named in the report, was caught smoking multiple times by staff in the months prior to catching on fire. The resident came to the facility in December 2017 with a lung disease that restricts breathing and required supplemental oxygen.  The resident was burned on May 1, admitted to hospice on May 8 and died on May 24, according to the report.

A staff member said the facility’s policy required nurses to keep cigarettes and lighters stored away from patients, but nurses don’t enforce that. The staff member said management was aware nurses were not enforcing the policy. Another staff member said residents were allowed to keep cigarettes and lighters in their rooms.

LESSONS LEARNED:

  1. Nursing home residents should never be allowed to smoke. Policies should be adjusted to
    reflect this, and staff should be trained on how to report infractions.
  2. If residents are unfortunately allowed to smoke, They should be under constant supervision and
    oxygen tanks should be far away from the resident.


THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report©

For more information and a free subscription:  write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com 
We provide the best Active Shooter and Facility Risk Assessments & Training Programs.
Find out more at   www.riskandsecurityllc.com .

ACTIVE SHOOTER IN ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND KILLS FIVE, INJURES THREE, AT THE ANNAPOLIS CAPITAL GAZETTE NEWSPAPER OFFICE

I WAS SHOCKED AND DISMAYED AS I WATCHED THE BREAKING NEWS:  ACTIVE SHOOTER IN ANNAPOLIS, MD YESTERDAY.   I teach Active Shooter Training, perform Active Shooter Drills and do Active Shooter Risk Assessments every week, but this one was different because I used to have an office right next to the Capital Gazette on Bestgate Road.

This horrific shooting had all the hallmarks of the other Active Shooters we have seen.  The shooter was mad over something that had been written about him 7 years ago, so he thought about it every day, and fantasized about getting even, and then one day, he picked up his gun and headed to the Capital Gazette newspaper office.

He used his shotgun to shoot out the front glass doors, walked inside and started shooting.  The extent of the carnage was kept out of the news for several hours, but then the Governor announced that five staffers had been killed and 3 other injured.  

AGAIN, THE SHOOTING WAS OVER BEFORE THE POLICE ARRIVED.  They eventually had 105 law enforcement officers on the scene within two minutes, but it was too late to save anyone.

Because Annapolis is the capital of Maryland, and a relatively small town, this was another case of IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE!  The newspaper office had no security in place.

Even though the shooter (who’s name I won’t use) had made many threats to the newspaper and its staff, the threats were not taken seriously, and there was minimal, if any, security at the Capital Gazette Office.  There was no security presence in the office, or the building, no panic alarm, and no case management program had been set up to track and attempt to manage the shooter’s threats.


LESSONS LEARNED:
 Effective Security is the only thing standing between YOUR STAFF and an Active Shooter.

1.  Effective Security is the only thing standing between YOUR STAFF and an Active Shooter.

2.  Even the most basic security threats, such as having a solid, bullet-proof door (not glass),
having a safe room for staff, can make the difference in saving a life.

3.  The newspaper had decided NOT to get a restraining order against him, thinking it would
make things worse, but instead, ignoring the threats is what inflamed the shooter.


THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report©

For more information and a free subscription:  write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com 
We provide the best Active Shooter and Facility Risk Assessments & Training Programs. Find out more
at   www.riskandsecurityllc.com .

 

 

 

 

 

 

77-Year Old Man in a Senior Care Retirement Home Fatally Shoots One Firefighter and Injures Another in Long Beach, California

RISKAlert Report # 1149         Updated:  June 27, 2017                                                    Long Beach, California

A 77-year-old retirement home resident identified as Thomas Kim, has been accused of intentionally setting a fire Monday morning to lure first responders to the facility.  After the firefighters entered the Home and
put out the fire, Kim fired on the men, killing one firefighter and wounding another.

It’s the first time we have seen anything like this said, Mike Duree, Long Beach Fire Chief..

Around 4 a.m. Monday morning, firefighters Capt. Dave Rosa and Ernesto Torres responded to reports of a fire, followed by an explosion and the smell of gasoline, at the Covenant Manor senior care facility, Duree said. As they approached the high-rise building, the firefighters noticed that the windows of one unit had been blown out and that the sprinklers were on.

After extinguishing the fire, Rosa and Torres remained inside the building to investigate the gas smell and explosion, the chief said. Ten minutes later, gunfire erupted and police received reports of an active shooter. Rosa, a 45-year-old veteran of the Long Beach Fire Department, was killed in the attack. Torres and another man, a civilian resident of Covenant Manor, were injured and taken to a local hospital.

Long Beach Police arrested 77-year-old Thomas Kim, who lived in the facility, in connection with the fire and the shooting.

They booked Kim  on suspicion of murder, as well as two counts of attempted murder and arson, and is being held on $2 million bail.  It is not known about where he got his weapon and how he started the high-rise fire.

Not much was immediately known about Kim, police said he was arrested years ago for auto theft and that detectives are looking into reports of erratic past behavior.  His family said that they were stunned to find out the suspect was alive, living in Long Beach, and was a suspect in the murder and arson investigation.


LESSONS LEARNED:

  1. Retirement facilities should institute a No-Weapons Policy for Residents. 
  2. Firefighters place themselves in danger every day, but didn’t expect to encounter
    a killer in the retirement home!
     


    THANKS FOR READING THE RISKAlert Report
    ©For more information and a free subscription:  write to:  caroline@riskandsecurityllc.com 
    We provide the best Active Shooter and CMS Facility Risk Assessments & Training Programs. Find out more at  www.riskandsecurityllc.com.