Healthcare Worker Reports Assault by Patient at Rhode Island Hospital — Latest in Violence

Healthcare Worker Reports Assault by Patient at Rhode Island Hospital — Latest in Violence

A certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Rhode Island Hospital reported an assault by a patient this week to Providence Police, GoLocal learned. 

The CNA — a male — said he was physically and verbally abused, and called racial slurs.

It marks the latest in a string of assaults on healthcare workers in Rhode Island over the past year. 

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As GoLocal reported in December, the head of the Rhode Island Nurses Association is calling for “systemic change” in light of the recent violence. 

“We’re losing nurses and we can’t afford this,” said Donna Policastro, Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association (RISNA). “People are leaving the profession for fear of violence .”

 

 

Latest Reported Incident

Police were called to Rhode Island Hospital on Tuesday, March 5 for a report of an assault. 

According to police, they met with the CNA, who said the incident occurred on March 1, when he had been assigned to watch a male patient. 

The victim told police that the patient had tried to get out of bed to use the bathroom, and that when he tried to assist him back into bed, he was assaulted.

According to the CNA, the patient kicked him; bent his finger back until he thought would break, and called him racial slurs and verbally abused him. 

The CNA told police he was afraid to defend himself for fear of losing his job; he told police another hospital employee was present and witnessed the violence. 

The victim said he filed reports with the hospital and that due to his injuries, he was seeking additional medical treatment. 

Providence police are currently investigating the incident. 

 

Previous Reports of Violence at Hospitals 

As GoLocal previously reported, on December 18, 2023, two nurses reported being assaulted at Miriam Hospital — in separate incidents. 

In another incident earlier in December, a CNA at Rhode Island Hospital reported an assault, saying she had been helping a patient get dressed when she was struck in the face multiple times with a closed fist. 

In September, a nurse at Rhode Island Hospital was in critical condition after being assaulted, after a a patient in the psychiatric ward reportedly punched the employee.