A patient wielding knives at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., was shot to death, heating up the debate on armed security guards in healthcare facilities, according to an article on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website.
As many as half of U.S. hospitals employ security guards armed with handguns, according to one national survey. The estimate in Missouri about 14 percent.
Some believe that having armed guards adds danger to an already emotional setting. Others say the threat of workplace violence should be handled the same as in any other setting.
Security guards at Barnes-Jewish on Jan. 11 shot and killed a patient who refused to drop two knives after pushing his way out of a treatment room.
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