UPMC Memorial shooting hits close to home

So many lives will never be the same.

A man entered UPMC Memorial Hospital just outside York, Pennsylvania with a bag containing a gun and zip ties. He shot and killed a police officer, and wounded five other people. Three of the wounded worked at UPMC Memorial - a doctor, nurse and custodian. Two other police officers were wounded. The shooter held a hostage at gunpoint before police shot and killed the attacker.?

I’m Ron Southwick, the lead editor of Chief Healthcare Executive, and I live about 45 minutes from UPMC Memorial. So this edition of CHE 360 will focus on the UPMC Memorial tragedy, and its aftermath.?

Although I don’t know any of the victims or the staff at UPMC Memorial, the shooting hits far too close to home. I’m guessing many hospital staff and leaders across America feel the same way, especially the nurses and doctors who encounter violent situations all too often.

The mass shooting has dominated local news in central Pennsylvania for the past week, deservedly so.?

The police officer, Andrew Duarte, has been hailed as a hero for running toward danger. He had just celebrated his 30th birthday a few days earlier.?

Leslie Davis, president and CEO of UPMC, pledged to do whatever’s needed to support staff. “Our hearts are heavy with the news of the tragic act of violence that shattered the calm at UPMC Memorial,” she said.

It was encouraging to hear authorities talk about the need to support the staff at UPMC Memorial, and they noted that they would need help for a long time to come. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the staff suffered trauma that won’t go away overnight.

“Every day when you put on your white coat or your uniform of service to others here in this wonderful hospital, or any hospital across Pennsylvania, you are performing that function because you care about your neighbors,” Shapiro said.

As York County District Attorney Tim Barker said, ““We need to rally around our healthcare workers in York County. They have suffered a grave harm, an unwarranted harm, and an unnecessary harm.”

The UPMC shooting has also brought renewed attention to the issue of hospital security and safety. This week, I talked with Dan Yaross, the president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) , about the impact of the shooting. “Every organization is probably trying to learn from this unfortunate event,” he said.

Yaross said there’s wide variance in security measures across the nation’s hospitals. Some need more security officers, or better training.

Eric Sean Clay, MBA, MSc, CHPA, CPP , vice president of security at Memorial Hermann Health System, spoke with Chief Healthcare Executive? about the UPMC shooting for the latest episode of our podcast, “Healthy Bottom Line.” He said it was particularly chilling to see how someone managed to get well into the hospital to cause so much damage.

“We train for a lot of different situations, including active shooters and armed intruders,” Clay said. “But, you know, hostage situations aren't really something that I think a lot of people are thinking about.”

More hospitals are adding weapon detection systems, including metal detectors, cameras and other technology, Clay said. And he thinks more will do so in the future.?

“Concealed weapons detection is becoming more prevalent,” he said. “I think that's one of the things that we're going to start to really see be part of a standardized security management plan over the next three to five years.” Check out the full podcast for some great perspectives from Eric on hospital security, and his insights on how hospitals can help create a safer environment.?

There have been several fatal shootings at hospitals across the nation over the past three years. Beyond those deadly shootings, doctors and nurses say they are routinely assaulted, or threatened. More than half of emergency nurses say they’ve been assaulted or threatened in the previous 30 days.?

Some hospital leaders have been taking steps to reduce gun violence. On Thursday, Northwell Health hosted its sixth annual forum on gun violence prevention.?

Michael Dowling , president and CEO of Northwell Health , has urged other hospital executives to tackle the issue. He said gun violence can’t be reduced to a partisan clash when it’s a public health issue.

“It should never be a partisan issue when it comes to the lives and the future of our kids, when it comes to the well-being of families, when it comes to building solid, decent communities, when it comes to safety on the streets, safety in the schools, safety in places of worship, safety in our hospitals,” Dowling said.

We want to play a part, even a small one, in reducing violence in hospitals. Over a year ago, Chief Healthcare Executive launched an ongoing series, Safer Hospitals, to shine a light on ways hospitals and health systems can take more steps to protect their patients. We’ll have additional stories in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Initially, I’d planned to use this newsletter to highlight some of the fantastic sessions and conversations at the ViVE digital health conference in Nashville. I’m looking forward to more great interviews and panel discussions at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas next week. Catch our full coverage of HIMSS next week from Chief Healthcare Executive.?

We’ll have more insights and observations from both events in the next CHE 360 newsletter. Please keep everyone in UPMC Memorial in your thoughts. UPMC has set up an online message board to share a message of support or kind words for the UPMC Memorial staff.

Thanks for reading and take care.