SIW to host webinar on active shooters in hospital settings

Feb. 28, 2012
IAHSS President-Elect Lisa Pryse to discuss best practices for prevention and response

On Thursday, March 8, SIW will host a webinar on the subject of active shooter incidents and hospitals. Sponsored by Inovonics and presented by Lisa Pryse, president-elect of the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS), the one-hour long webinar will cover best practices for the prevention and response to active shooters in healthcare settings.

"Training for active shooter scenarios is a big priority for the IAHSS and we are pleased to partner with them to provide education to the industry on this topic," said SIW Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher Geoff Kohl. "As we've seen numerous times, no organization is immune from workplace violence. However, the inherent stress in a healthcare environment can sometimes make it even more vulnerable to violent outbursts, not just from patients, but also staff members as recent events would indicate."

Last week, a maintenance worker at a Connecticut hospital allegedly shot two of his supervisors after reportedly being disciplined by one of them earlier in the day.

"This tragic incident is the latest reminder of how critical preparation and education regarding workplace violence prevention should be to any healthcare organization and that no one is exempt from the risk of such an occurrence," IAHSS President Bryan Warren said in a statement. Workplace violence comes in many forms, and while workplace violence incident rates have statistically been much higher in the healthcare and social services industries (typically due to high risk client or patient populations acting out against clinical staff), there still exists the possibility of employee versus employee or employee versus supervisor violence such was the case in this situation. Professional associations such as the IAHSS and others are great resources to look to for best practices, education and networking opportunities so that together we can all work towards creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment for all patients, clients, visitors and just as importantly, hospital staff as they seek to care for others."

The shooting was the most recent incident in what has been an overall trend of rising violent crimes at hospitals across the nation. According to a story recently published by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals nationwide, said that in the last five years, there have been nearly three times as many assaults, rapes and homicides reported to it than in the previous five years.

Among some of the other topics to be covered in the webinar include:

  • Active shooter training programs
  • Best practices for conducting preparedness drills
  • The Joint Commission's recommendations for active shooter incidents
  • The IAHSS' guidelines for active shooter incidents

In addition to Pryse, Inovonics Senior Sales Engineer Brain Armstrong is also scheduled to give a brief presentation. Click here for more information or to register for the webinar.