The state of California has fined Children?s Hospital Oakland (CHO) for
?serious? safety violations that have endangered the lives of staff and
patients. The state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health determined that
the hospital had failed to protect workers from violence in the emergency
department.
There have been reports of some 77 gunshot victims over three years, without
proper procedures, but the fines mainly stem from two incidents, one in which an
employee was taken hostage.
In July, authorities report that a homeless man stormed into the emergency room
and held a nurse and ward clerk hostage before being subdued. In October, a
gunshot victim was dropped off in front of the hospital instead of the emergency
room and nurses reported feeling unsafe while tending to the victim outside.
The fine, which includes other violations, totals $10,350, citing the medical
center?s failure to comply with mandated security regulations that have put
staff and patients in danger over the course of three years. CHO, however, plans
to appeal the fine, and hospital officials say they have made significant
improvements to their safety and security policies.
CalOSHA?s investigation of CHO in November resulted in citations stating the
hospital had an ineffective training program, incomplete and inadequate
procedures to deal with safety concerns, and ?incomplete and untimely hazard
correction for workplace violence exposures in the Emergency Department.? The
problems persisted despite repeated incidents and recommendations by the
hospital?s own internal risk assessments and reports.
?For the last year, nurses have expressed concerns that the hospital is cutting
corners on staff training in ways that put caregivers and the public at risk,?
said CHO registered nurse (RN) Martha Kuhl. ?We have demanded that our employer
provide us with the training we need to care for the children of Oakland.
Instead they have disregarded their obligations, and we applaud the state for
its actions, while we insist CHO provide a safe environment for everyone who
comes through our doors.?
RNs countered the hospital?s claims that safety procedures are in place, saying
that whatever the hospital is doing is wholly inadequate. Nurses frequently cite
the July incident in which an armed gunman held hostage an RN and a ward clerk
in the emergency room, as well as incidents in October when multiple gunshot
victims arrived within minutes of each other, with one being dropped off in the
driveway.
Anna Smith, an emergency room RN, described caring for the patients involved in
the October incident: ?As an RN I am not going to allow a patient to die in the
driveway, and I want to be able to focus on my patients and trust that the
hospital will pay attention to our safety. Instead, their response has been to
blame the nurses. They thought we shouldn?t have gone immediately to the
driveway to save a man?s life. Nurses won?t accept this.?