First Published:
8:18 AM PDT, June 5, 2022
The shooting at a hospital complex in Tulsa that left four dead, including two doctors, has put the spotlight on acts of violence targeting healthcare workers.
Nurse Jennette Pearson says she was brutally punched by a patient who didn’t want to take his medication at the Utah state hospital where she works. The assault left her with a black eye and concussion.
“We get used to it. We get used to hearing our lives threatened everyday,” Pearson said.
The nurse says she has seen patients grow increasingly violent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic after sometimes being isolated from loved ones due to safety protocol.
Now, she and other health care professionals are warning of growing violence targeting them.
For example, a man brandished two guns as he stormed a hospital lobby in Utah and demanded to see a doctor. He was shot by law enforcement when he refused to drop his weapon.
A beloved cardiac surgeon was shot dead at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital after a delusional gunman, seen on hospital surveillance camera, blamed the doctor for his mother’s death.
A shocking 47% of physicians have reported being physically assaulted themselves.
Scott Strauss runs security for North Shore University Hospital in Long Island. He showed Inside Edition how their advanced hospital turnstile system is keeping hospital workers safe.
