RALEIGH, NC - A new law that aims to better protect healthcare providers
and the public took effect on Tuesday, October 1st, and will result in
emergency rooms having armed law enforcement stationed there.
According to reports, language from House Bill 809,
titled "Hospital Violence Protection Act," was inserted into Senate
Bill 425, the 2024 legislative update for the North Carolina Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS). For the purposes of the new law, a
law enforcement officer can be a sworn officer, a special officer under
state law or a campus police officer who is authorized to carry a
concealed weapon.
The law mandates that every licensed North Carolina hospital with an
emergency department "conduct a security risk assessment" and develop a
security plan submitted to DHHS. The law specifies that the security
plan is not a public document.
The arming of law enforcement officers comes after Atrium Health Wake
Forest Baptist, Cone Health, and Novant Health Inc. placed metal
detectors at the entrance of their hospital emergency departments.
Weapons, such as firearms, knives or blades, brass knuckles, mace or
pepper spray, are already prohibited on hospital property.
Novant said that its existing protective services, which includes armed
public safety officers, "align with the goals of the Hospital Violence
Protection Act and our safety plans have been reviewed by the
appropriate officials."
Chris Comer, Cone Health's executive director of Security and Emergency
Management said in a statement, "Cone Health is prepared to be compliant
with the required legislation with the help and support from our local
law enforcement agencies as well as a company police model to supply
officers to our emergency departments across the enterprise."
He added, "Cone has provided 24/7 law enforcement coverage in our
facilities for many years leading up to the new bill and supports the
new legislation to keep our patients, visitors and employees as safe as
possible."
Hospitals that were unable to comply by October 1st were required to
submit a request for an extension, which could be granted to June 1,
2024. According to the law, hospitals are now required to "develop and
implement a security plan with protocols to ensure that at least one law
enforcement officer is present at all times, except when temporarily
required to leave in connection with the discharge of their duties, in
the emergency department or on the same campus as the emergency
department."
As indicated by the law, those involved in creating the security plan
include the emergency department's medical director and nurse
leadership, law enforcement officers employed or contracted by the
hospital, and a local law enforcement representative.
Additionally, the law states, "These identified risks shall take into
consideration the hospital's trauma level designation, overall patient
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."
Security plan recommendations from the N.C. Sheriff's Association, N.C.
Association of Chiefs of Police, N.C. Emergency Management Association,
and N.C. Healthcare Association will be assisting DHHS.
According to the law, all law enforcement officers are required to
complete training that is "appropriate for the populations served by the
emergency department ... based on a trauma-informed approach to
identifying and safely addressing situations involving patients, family
members, or other persons ... and those who pose a risk of harm to
themselves or others due to mental illness or substance use disorder or
who are experiencing a mental health crisis."
The North Carolina Health Association (NCHA) said that the new law's
requirement is part of "creating safe environments for patients, staff
and visitors [that] is a top priority for North Carolina hospitals." The
NCHA said that the training required by law enforcement includes
methods to de-escalate potential incidents. Hospitals are to collect and
report data on incidents to DHHS
Published by an old curmudgeon who came to America in 1936 as a refugee from Nazi Germany and proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He is a former law enforcement officer and a retired professor of criminal justice who, in 1970, founded the Texas Narcotic Officers Association. BarkGrowlBite refuses to be politically correct. (Copyrighted articles are reproduced in accordance with the copyright laws of the U.S. Code, Title 17, Section 107.)
Saturday, October 05, 2024
HOW WILL THE COP KEEP BUSY?
New law in North Carolina puts law enforcement in hospital emergency departments
Oct 3, 2024
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment