Healthcare Worker Assaulted at RI Hospital -- Latest in Series of Incidents
GoLocalProv News Team
Healthcare Worker Assaulted at RI Hospital -- Latest in Series of Incidents
It marks the latest attack at the hospital, after a nurse was critically injured by a patient in September.
Nationally, roughly 3 in 4 nonfatal workplace violence injuries involved workers in health care and social work in 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe frequency of injuries from workplace violence in health care has risen almost every year since 2011, reaching 10.4 per 10,000 full-time workers in 2018, up 62% from 6.4 per 10,000 in 2011, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to police, shortly before 10 PM Wednesday night, police were called to Rhode Island Hospital on Eddy Street for a report of an assault.
The police detail at the hospital informed responding officers that a certified nursing assistant (CNA) had been assaulted by a patient.
The victim -- a female in her 30s -- told police that a patient who had been discharged earlier that day had refused to leave the hospital.
According to police, the CNA said she had tried to assist the suspect with getting dressed to leave the hospital when he struck her in the face multiple times with a closed fist.
Security at the hospital was called to assist the victim.
Police say that a suspect was detained and transported to Central Station.
Detectives are currently investigating the incident.
Latest at RIH
The incident marks the latest in reported healthcare violence in Rhode Island.
In September, a nurse at Rhode Island Hospital was in critical condition after being assaulted.
As GoLocal reported on September 8, a patient in the psychiatric ward reportedly punched the employee on Friday morning.