Patient Shoots Themself in Florida Hospital

An HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital patient in Fort Pierce sustained a nonfatal self-inflicted gunshot wound on June 14th. 

Police responded to a call about a patient with a gun in the hospital around noon, and the patient shot himself while officers tried to calm him down. No other injuries were reported, and the hospital staff attended to the patient in the late afternoon. 

The hospital emphasized that its policies and procedures prioritize patients' safety and that an internal review is underway to enhance security measures.

Maintaining Department Security (Video)

Though you are not solely responsible for your department's security, you can do your part to ensure that no harm comes to you, your coworkers, or the patients. 

Make sure that doors to be closed and locked are closed and locked.

Ensure that no doors are propped open. This is not only for security reasons, but it can also be a fire hazard if the door is supposed to close when the fire alarm is activated.

If there is a door that should have a lock on it, but it doesn’t speak up and say something.

Even stairwells can pose a threat. If there is a door leading from the outside to your unit (employees or patients who smoke may keep the door propped open to make it easier to reenter the building), that can be an issue if people have bad intentions.