PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Nurses and hospital workers are calling for better safety conditions in the emergency room following a recent incident at Temple University Hospital that triggered an active shooter alert in the emergency room.
Temple nurses and healthcare professionals rallied outside the hospital on Broad Street Wednesday to call for higher safety standards. Maureen May, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, said the violence is widespread.
“Sixty-six percent of the nurses and healthcare workers said that they have personally experienced violence in their workplace,” she said.
The rally was spurred by an incident on July 13 when gunfire erupted outside the hospital. According to nurses, a man who had been inside the emergency department walked out and was shot at. He then ran back inside.
“Patients scrambled. They were running to try to find cover in rooms and locking themselves into doors,” said Marie Lopresti, one of the nurses who was on duty during the incident.
“Here we are in a very busy, crime-ridden area, and it's very violent. We've had guns get into the emergency department. That needs to stop, too. We need to do better. Temple needs to do better,” she said.
While no one was injured and no shots were fired inside the building, staff said it was the latest in a series of safety concerns at the hospital.
“We are not here because what happened on July 13 was different than any other incident that we've ever faced,” said Marty Harrison, president of the Temple University Hospital Nurses Association. “It’s because it was the same.”
Carlos Aviles, a health technician, said security staffing has been reduced, which puts both workers and patients at risk.
“What does safe staffing mean? Do you think we're talking about the people just standing here?” he said. “We're talking about our Philadelphia police officers. We're talking about Temple police officers. We're talking about decreasing from six officers who used to keep us safe to now two. And why is that important? Because if we're not safe, how are your family members going to be safe?”
After the incident, Temple Health President and CEO issued a memo to staff stating the event did not involve an actual active shooter.
In a statement to KYW Newsradio, Temple said:
“At Temple Health, the safety and security of our patients and staff is our highest priority. We maintain comprehensive safety protocols at the Temple University Hospital – Main Campus, including weapon detection systems at all entrances, metal detection and x-ray machines in our Emergency Department, and a dedicated 24/7 police presence.”