UofL Health officials are speaking out after they say there’s been a recent uptick in violence against health care workers.Vincent Armstrong, 50, is charged with assaulting a worker at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital on Friday morning.The victim told police that Armstrong pushed them and scratched their arm when they went to check on him. An arrest slip says that Armstrong then went over to the nurses’ station and knocked over all of the computers.Armstrong is charged with assault and criminal mischief.Last month, 35-year-old Mykeisha Johnson was arrested after she allegedly attacked a nurse at UofL Hospital.Surveillance video reportedly shows Johnson choking a nurse and throwing her to the ground as the nurse was conducting rounds.Police say that Johnson confessed to attacking “the first person available” because she was angry about how long it was taking to discharge her.Johnson is charged with assault, strangulation, and menacing.”Violence against people who are trying to deliver care and render care is not acceptable,” said Dr. Jason Smith, UofL Health chief medical officer, “While this has escalated recently because of the role that we serve within the community of multiple different areas within our healthcare system, it’s not something that is completely new to us. We have had to deal with these problems for decades.”UofL Health officials say they don’t know how many of these attacks have happened at their hospitals, but they are concerned about the acts of violence.”The health care environment is really no different than what we’re seeing around the country with an increase in aggression, an increase in workplace violence really since the pandemic and has not really settled back down to what we would consider pre-pandemic levels so we are not exempt from that as far as the overall level of what’s going on,” Smith said.Delanor Manson, CEO of Kentucky Nurses Association, says while she doesn’t think there’s been an increase in assaults, she does think more are being reported. Manson says that in order to retain nurses, it’s important for them to feel safe.”If we don’t have enough nurses to take care of our aging population, to take care of our children, to take care of our communities, then, health care will suffer,” said Manson.To combat the increased acts of violence, UofL Health said it has increased security around the entirety of the health care system and is working on security plans.
UofL Health officials are speaking out after they say there’s been a recent uptick in violence against health care workers.
Vincent Armstrong, 50, is charged with assaulting a worker at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital on Friday morning.
The victim told police that Armstrong pushed them and scratched their arm when they went to check on him. An arrest slip says that Armstrong then went over to the nurses’ station and knocked over all of the computers.
Armstrong is charged with assault and criminal mischief.
Last month, 35-year-old Mykeisha Johnson was arrested after she allegedly attacked a nurse at UofL Hospital.
Surveillance video reportedly shows Johnson choking a nurse and throwing her to the ground as the nurse was conducting rounds.
Police say that Johnson confessed to attacking “the first person available” because she was angry about how long it was taking to discharge her.
Johnson is charged with assault, strangulation, and menacing.
“Violence against people who are trying to deliver care and render care is not acceptable,” said Dr. Jason Smith, UofL Health chief medical officer, “While this has escalated recently because of the role that we serve within the community of multiple different areas within our healthcare system, it’s not something that is completely new to us. We have had to deal with these problems for decades.”
UofL Health officials say they don’t know how many of these attacks have happened at their hospitals, but they are concerned about the acts of violence.
“The health care environment is really no different than what we’re seeing around the country with an increase in aggression, an increase in workplace violence really since the pandemic and has not really settled back down to what we would consider pre-pandemic levels so we are not exempt from that as far as the overall level of what’s going on,” Smith said.
Delanor Manson, CEO of Kentucky Nurses Association, says while she doesn’t think there’s been an increase in assaults, she does think more are being reported. Manson says that in order to retain nurses, it’s important for them to feel safe.
“If we don’t have enough nurses to take care of our aging population, to take care of our children, to take care of our communities, then, health care will suffer,” said Manson.
To combat the increased acts of violence, UofL Health said it has increased security around the entirety of the health care system and is working on security plans.