Healthcare Worker Attacked at Rhode Island Hospital — Latest in String of Assaults
GoLocalProv News Team
Healthcare Worker Attacked at Rhode Island Hospital — Latest in String of Assaults
It marks just the latest episode of violence against nurses and healthcare workers in the state over the past several months.
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Latest Incident
Providence police received a report of an assault on a healthcare worker at Rhode Island Hospital mid-day on Saturday.
According to the victim, a male medical technician, he was working in the emergency room when he was sprayed with a “noxious chemical” by a woman who was at the hospital with her husband.
Police say the victim sustained minor injuries.
The suspect — later identified as Ashley Tallo, age 31, fled the scene and was later identified and arrested at Miriam Hospital in Providence — another Lifespan facility.
Prior Assaults — Nurses Raise Alarm
As GoLocal reported, on December 18, two nurses were assaulted at Miriam in separate incidents — in one night.
A healthcare worker was assaulted at Rhode Island Hospital on November 29; in September, a nurse was in critical condition after being assaulted by a patient at Rhode Island Hospital.
This month, the head of the Rhode Island Nurses Association called for “systemic change,” after the latest incidents of violence against nurses.
“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 .”
“The only way to stop is to change our mental health system — where patients go when they have these issues — and changes in protocols,” said Policastro. “We need workplace safety in place for workers, and appropriate consequences.”