An unruly patient is accused of violently attacking two nurses at HCA Hospital in Port Charlotte and on Tuesday, nearly two dozen nurses demonstrated outside of the hospital calling for more safety measures to protect them.
These attacks come a month after an HCA nurse in Palm Beach had every bone in her face broken by a violent patient.
Nurses in Charlotte county chanted “it shouldn’t hurt to be a nurse” as they called for changes and increased workplace safety measures, after two nurses say they were violently attacked last Tuesday on the job.
HCA registered nurse Valerie Jean works at Fawcett and said she doesn’t believe she is safe.
Jean read a prepared statement from one of her colleagues that was attacked saying that nurse is not ready to speak publicly because she is traumatized after an intensive care unit patient became unruly and attacked her.
“I was told this patient had been yelling, biting, kicking and spitting,” Jean stated.
She went on to explain that things escalated before the patient injured two nurses.
“Before I could stop him, he had one of the nurses that came to help in a headlock and was choking her,” she said.
The nurses blame HCA’s low staffing levels and lack of training for the attacks.
The nurses shouted outside of the hospital that they want safe staffing, and they want it now.
Registered Nurse Jeannette Brooke said she has been attacked twice in the hospital and the first time she said the patient used a pole. She said attacks on nurses are becoming all too common.
“The patient not only stabbed me but kicked me in the legs,” Brooke recalled.
Last month an HCA nurse in Palm Beach was brutally beaten beyond recognition. The patient broke every bone in her face.
However, nurses seldom report the violence an Brook said a nurses in tension is not to have the patient criminalized but rather prevent it from happening.
“We're here to take care of the patients but we're here today to ask who's going to take care of us,” Jean asked.
Fawcett said in a statement that they have zero tolerance for violence in the workplace.
The release went on to say as a result of the attack last week they are now reassessing their safety policy.
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