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Home > Article Categories > Medical Articles > Second Bay Area Nurse Killed in October

Second Bay Area Nurse Killed in October


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Bay Area nurse Cynthia Palomata, a veteran correctional working in a correctional facility, was killed last month by an inmate being brought in. The incident has given rise to calls that new safety standards be implemented to assure that correctional nurses are protected from violent inmates.

Cynthia Palomata worked as a prison nurse at the Contra Costa County jail in Martinez, CA since 2005. Her family members remember her as patient, kind, and compassionate woman who loved her work. "When she took that job, I told her I said 'Aren't you scared dealing with these people that came out of prison and have problems?' She said 'Auntie, it's a job,'" remembered Palomata's aunt Venus Dioso. She said that her niece had tried to soothe the family's fears saying, ""It's not dangerous, because we have security around all the time."

Palomata had been a nurse for 15 years at San Francisco General Hospital, and began working at the prison after recovering from an injury sustained while lifting a patient.

The attack occurred in October when a newly-admitted inmate accused of burglary, 34 year old Aaron Nygaard of El Cerrito, faked a seizure in the jail's intake area. Nygaard was tasered in order to bring him under control, and nurse Palomata was taken to John Muir Hospital and underwent surgery for her injuries, but she never recovered. The case has led to concerns about the safety of civilians working with prison inmates.

"She was a well-respected member of our nursing staff," said Dr. William Walker, director of Contra Costa Health Services. "Staff safety is the highest priority, and we continue to work closely with the sheriff's office to evaluate safety procedures."

This was the second recent death of a Bay Area nurse. On October 23, Donna Gross, a 54 year old psychiatric technician from Concord, was robbed and killed at Napa State Hospital. The suspected perpetrator is a mentally ill patient.

The California Nurses Association said attacks on health care workers are on the rise and that this and other recent attacks indicate that workplace safety must be improved through new legislation. A 1993 California law that requires hospitals to have a security plan in place. The union, however, pointed out that it does not mandate the same protection in correctional facilities, and it is wants new laws put in place.

"We can no longer tolerate inadequate security measures which threaten not only RNs and other staff, but also put families and other patients at risk," said Kay McVay, president emeritus of the union.

State congress is already on it. State Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, has agreed to introduce a bill on behalf of nurses very soon. The California Association of Psychiatric Technicians has also said that it is working with the state Department of Mental Health to "prevent another tragedy in our state facilities."

Contra Costa County Sheriff Warren Rupf commented on the situation last week, saying he recognized the public's concern over safety in light of the recent nurse killings. He said that there was no previous indication that Nygaard would lash out so violently. He had been through the inmate screening process without an incident before he faked the seizure, prompting Palomata to rush to his aid. Nygaard, who has no criminal history, is now facing burglary and murder charges.




 


 

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