Mass. hospital equips some staff with walkie-talkies to call for help

OSHA told the for-profit psychiatric hospital to equip its staff with panic buttons and improve staffing levels


The Pembroke Hospital in Pembroke, Mass., has armed some of its staff with walkie-talkies to call for help in a violent situation, according to an article on the Pembroke Mariner & Express website.

Last fall, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration told the for-profit psychiatric hospital to equip its staff with panic buttons and improve staffing levels.

OSHA inspectors found that the only way for staff at the 120-bed facility to call for help in a dangerous situation was to use the hospital intercom.

Surprise inspections of Pembroke and three other psychiatric treatment facilities owned by Arbour Health System found serious patient-care violations and prompted the state to assign an on-site monitor to oversee changes.

A summary of the violations found at the four sites included inoperable bathrooms and dirty and cluttered rooms that blocked access to emergency medical equipment.

Read the article.

 

 



May 25, 2016


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

Alleged Ransomware Administrator Extradited from South Korea

The Phobos ransomware has been used globally to target over 1,000 organizations, including healthcare.


Design Plans Unveiled for New Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital

The new hospital will be a 14-floor, 737,000 square-foot facility in Billings, Montana.


Ground Broken on New Pediatric Health Campus in Dallas

The new campus will replace the existing Children’s Medical Center Dallas.


Pre-Construction Strategies for Successful Facilities Projects

Savvy decisions can help facilities meet long-term goals by creating consistency and eliminating waste.


Geisinger Finds Success with Violence Prevention Efforts

Their safety measures included training staff in de-escalation, active-shooter response drills and equipping 6,000 employees with duress notification badges.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.