Lives are saved in hospital emergency rooms, but they can also be dangerous places. With a new law in Virginia, ER doctors are hoping for extra security to deal with potentially violent situations.
A recently implemented state law, SB827, which was introduced by Sen. Barbara Favola (D) of Northern Virginia, requires all Virginia hospitals with emergency departments to station an off-duty law enforcement officer or trained security officer in the ER at all times.
Emergency rooms are typically more vulnerable than other areas in hospitals, often with unlocked doors for easy entrance, as well as being open around the clock.
“It’s important that emergency departments stay open 24/7, said Jeff Kelley, a spokesman with Virginia College of Emergency Physicians. “People show up at the ER for a host of reasons, right? You know, I took my son in because he needed stitches overnight for doing ninja moves.”
“But,” he added. “There’s also incidents where there might be a shooting … and the victim gets followed in by the assailant.”
Within the past few years, incidents of violence at hospitals in Virginia and around the country has increased. As a safety measure, some hospitals are installing metal detectors at every entrance.
The new Virginia law requires every hospital with an emergency department to establish a security plan, using standards established by the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety.
The Virginia College of Emergency Physicians has been advocating for increased security in ERs. VACEP said that, under the new law, off-duty officers or security personnel “will have training in conflict resolution, de-escalation, and have the ability to physically restrain unruly patients, family members, or other individuals in the ED.”
“There is a requirement that they have the ability to physically restrain someone,” said Kelley. “There are family members who may use violence to get their way, or push through, or get some attention … And, of course, emotions run high in the emergency room.”
All hospitals with emergency departments will have to undergo a security risk assessment. That assessment, according to the law that went into effect July 1, “shall be based on identified risks for the emergency department, including trauma level designation, overall volume, volume of psychiatric and forensic patients, incidents of violence against staff, and level of injuries sustained from such violence, and prevalence of crime in the community.”
Virginia’s health commissioner can grant a waiver for the “at all times” requirement, if the hospital security plan shows they only need security at certain hours.
