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Moore Regional tightens security |
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Moore Regional is tightening security in the hospital’s emergency department, starting today.
Based on lessons learned from emergencies that have all but overwhelmed hospital staff, a number of new measures are being put in place to insure patient safety….And, the smooth functioning of an emergency department that handles 66-thousand patient visits a year.
“Our duty is first and foremost to our patients,” says the Medical Director of Moore Regional’s Emergency Department.
“The unfortunate escalation of violence in today’s society,” explains Doctor Steven Sobel, “forces us to operate under new rules for patient safety.”
It was just a year ago that a gunman opened fire on residents of a Carthage nursing home.
Anxious relatives, law enforcement and rescue personnel converged on Moore Regional, as physicians and staff attended to critically injured patients, including the gunman himself.
The hospital was forced to go into lockdown for several hours.
No one was allowed to enter the building or allowed to leave it.
In an effort to to provide more safety and security, starting today patients will be asked to give permission for visitors to the treatment area.
Visitors will be furnished a blue arm band that must be worn at all times while in the treatment area.
If the emergency department becomes seriously overcrowded, visitor access ot the treatment area will be limited.
In situations where life, property or emergency department services are threatened, access will be limited to essential clinical personnel.
In the words of the director of Moore Regional’s Emergency Department, Registered Nurse Kris Owens, “the bottom line is we’re trying to provide more safety and security for everyone.”
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