We have had increasing levels and incidents of violence and robbery in the city that I work in. It's starting to get a little too close to the hospital. Just yesterday, a nurse was robbed at gunpoint by two young men. Luckily, she only lost her purse, and not her life. She was not injured or physically harmed.
Where did it happen? On the short walk to her car. A trip she makes every day.
Working at the hospital, day shift employees (those who start before 1pm) must park in one of the four distant parking lots. They are all a short 5-10 minute walk to the hospital. There are shuttle buses that pick up and drop off employees from the distant parking lots. The parking lots themselves have surveillance cameras and security guards who make their rounds.
However, security is not perfect nor always present. If employees choose to walk to and from the lots (as very, very many do, because there are just not enough shuttles to drive everyone), there is no security because you walk along public streets or through an apartment complex.
And thus, people get mugged and robbed.
It's not the first time, nor will it be the last time that a hospital employee is mugged or robbed.
What does the hospital say about it?
Use the shuttle buses.
Walk in groups to and from your cars.
Call security to escort you to your car.
Who seriously has time for that? I have personally had to wait 30 minutes for a security guard to drive/walk me to my car after the shuttles are done (after midnight). Who in the heck really wants to wait that long after working overtime at the hospital? I can tell you just how dead tired I am after working many of my shifts. The only thing on my mind is to get home and go to sleep.
However, I do value my personal safety, and I waited 30+ minutes for a security escort to my car when I am getting out of work after shuttle hours, and I'm parked in one of the parking lots.
Luckily, if you start work after 1pm, you can park in the parking garage - which is still a 5 minute walk through dark areas of the garage and a tunnel to get to the hospital. Still scary. Still a risk of being mugged or robbed. But at least you're on camera the whole time.
Cars are routinely broken into in the parking garage. The garage is right off of the city street, where people get mugged/robbed/shot/stabbed. It's open to the street, so anyone can be lurking anywhere in the garage (if they know how to avoid the cameras).
Time to buy some pepper spray, and time to stop carrying any credit cards/cash/valuables.
10 comments:
That's a shame. I've heard of the reports lately and it's pretty scary.
One idea is that you could carry a wallet with expired credit cards so that if you do get held up, you have something to give them.
"Fake wallet" is a good idea -- just make sure the expired ones don't have the same number as your current ones, or else the thieves will be able to figure out the correct expiration date, and may be able to use it w/o having to put in the security code on the back.
Me, personally? I say, "Get a gun!" Not that there would be any issues about taking a gun on hospital premises, of course. :-( So, yeah, "pepper spray and no valuables" is good.
We have the same type of situation at the hospital where I work. Scary :(
Where do the administrators park? I bet things would change fast if they had to park in the distant lots.
I hate these situations. It takes someone getting seriously injured or killed before someone does something about it. Even then....
Have you thought about carrying $20 cash with you at all times? If you get mugged, you'll have something to give the robber, who would probably be very irate if they made the effort to rob you only to find you broke. I've heard this called "mug money".
I've worked as a travel nurse, mainly at Children's Hospitals and in general I have had the luxury of very well-lit parking with very visible security - even in really bad neighborhoods.
My current hospital has a free parking deck for everyone attached to the hospital which is nice , but security INSIDE the hospital is ridiculous. Our labor and post-partum areas are completely open access, the only "security" is that the stairs on the floor are badge access only so the public has to use the elevators to enter and leave the floor. The newborns have no tracking devices, like Halo, on them and staff are to "challenge" anyone carrying an infant in the hallways or a suspicious large bag to prevent abductions. With an open visitation policy and often tons of family and visitors bringing their own your infants in car seat carriers, it would be ridiculously easy to walk into a room with a Mom showering or sleeping and grab the baby out of the bassinet.
My favorite is our "Barney Fife" security. When they do slowly respond, they are little help. We recently had a father on drugs who assaulted a family member and broke her nose in the room. We had absolutely no way to prevent him from returning and were told to call the police is he showed back up. Of course they couldn't get us a picture of his appearance from the security camera for at least 24 hours. It is RIDICULOUS how at risk we are on our jobs.
I have to admit, our security guys are good. Some are VERY good. We even have some women that will kick your a$$ from here to next week. They are awesome about doing walking rounds all over the hospital, and I usually see them at least twice during my 8 hr shift on our floor alone.
I wish we had metal detectors, and limited access to the hospital. It seems like we're an open free-for-all with multiple entrances/exits.
Scary. I know the feeling. The area I live in and the area I work in are not super safe. I have lived in this area over 17 years and all of a sudden teenagers are getting murdered 2 miles from my house. Sigh. Is anywhere truly safe?
I would not stop carrying cash. Take a minimal amount with you, because otherwise, a disappointed robber might stab you because of leaving empty-handed. Just a thought.
wow that's just really frustrating. you'd expect that if there is so much mugging and robbery going around in a hospital for the police to step in and increase its presence. I'm not sure but demographics and stats could go a long way maybe you can get a petition going requesting more protection and police around the area because it's not just the health care workers there are patients too. just a suggestion. stay safe!! :)
what a shame, but completely typical response from the hospital.
I recently left ER nursing for a variety of reasons and am now starting over as a corrections nurse. I feel safer in our jail than I ever did in the ER...
Keep that pepper spray with you!
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