Armed guards coming to CT hospital to address ‘unruly behavior,’ physical ‘clashes’

Hartford Courant – Sunday, November 10, 2024
By Don Stacom

After a rally in September over concerns about safety, a union at the Bradley Memorial campus of the Hospital of Central Connecticut reported that administrators beefed up security and will deploy armed guards starting later this winter.

At least two security guards are on duty every shift at the Southington hospital, workers said, which addressed the chief complaint from unionized nurses, lab technicians and other employees.

“The hospital stepped up, and people are feeling more at ease now,” respiratory therapist Melissa Cordero said Friday. “It’s nice to know that there’s not just one person any more.”

Ed Hawthorne, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, said at the rally that there had been “numerous recent incidents involving unruly behavior,” said “To make matters worse, our members have been locked in prolonged negotiations where they’re fighting for fair wages with little to no significant progress.”

Hartford HealthCare did not discuss details of the staffing change Friday, but issued a statement: “Hartford HealthCare is and has always been dedicated to supporting and protecting our patients and colleagues. Safety is one of HHC’s core values, as demonstrated by our recent safety enhancements. We are glad that negotiations with CHCA at our Bradley Memorial campus recently concluded, and appreciate that the union recognizes HHC’s commitment to safety.”

More than a dozen members of Connecticut Health Care Associates District 1199 staged a rally near the emergency room parking lot on Sept. 3 to draw attention to what they called a dangerous staffing shortage. Bradley Memorial for years had employed two guards on each shift, but cut back to one as a cost-saving measure, employees complained.

After the pandemic, that situation became more problematic because of an increase in patients arriving at the emergency room having psychological crises, severe reactions to drugs or violent behavioral health episodes, the union said. With just one guard to keep watch on the emergency room as well as the main hospital floors, there were lapses when nurses and other staffers were left at risk or were injured, according to the union.

A factor in the past year or two is that waiting times at Bradley’s emergency room are often lower than at larger hospitals in nearby cities, so more people from out of the area are going to Bradley — and sometimes are agitated, unruly or violent, workers said.

“When I started here, it was all Southington. We’re getting an influx of Bristol people, Waterbury and Meriden people,” respiratory therapist Joyce Pelletier said at the time. “People want what they want when they want it.”

The hospitals in those larger cities had security staff to help handle behavioral health crises when necessary, but at Bradley employees were getting hurt because of the shortage of guards, according to the union. In at least one instance over the summer, police were called to restore order, the union said.

District 1199 said contract talks with Hartford HealthCare were stalled, and said it wanted a guaranteed minimum level of two guards along with wage and benefit improvements.

“The absence of trained guards in case of emergency, coupled with the lack of security cameras and sufficient lighting throughout the building and parking lot, took a toll on employees,” the union said in a statement, noting that “recent clashes with patients turned physical.”

Hartford HealthCare did not publicly respond to the complaints at the time, but said after the rally that it was was committed to working with the union.

“The best path forward for everyone is to work together and find common ground,” Vice President of Operations Janette Edwards wrote in a statement in September. “Our latest offer includes a significant increase in wages, and the hospital has already agreed to several operational changes proposed by the union.”

This week, the union announced it had reached a new contract with Hartford HealthCare. The agreement doesn’t ensure security staffing levels, but hospital management had made assurances in a staffwide email that armed security guards will be deployed starting early next year, the union said.

Meanwhile, staffers noticed that there were two guards on each shift following the rally.

“We’ve seen a change in our clientele in the past year and a half with more people having emotional and behavioral problems, so we appreciate the hospital stepping up,” Cordero said.

Hospitals nationally have been reporting increased violence against staff for years. In California, a study showed reported attacks on emergency room workers by patients, visitors and other jumped from 2,587 in 2018 to 3,238 last year. The Connecticut Hospital Association launched a campaign to curb such violence last year after 1,948 reports of violence against hospital staffers in 2022.

In Southington, the union this week reported progress.

“Following extensive discussions involving regional leadership, public safety directors and other key departments, Hartford HealthCare has announced they are taking further steps to enhance security across their hospital campuses,” District 1199 said. “HHC will be deploying armed public safety officers at each of the health system’s acute care hospitals around the clock to complement the safety and services provided by the existing public safety team.”

Anne Fenelon, a union representative, said Friday that the union is satisfied.

“We went back to the table after the rally. We weren’t able to achieve having this in the contract, but they’d committed to having the hospital staff appropriately,” Fenelon said.

The new contract runs through October of 2026 and covers about 50 employees, providing raises of at least 9%. Because it also reclassifies workers who missed previous step increases, some employees will get raises of more than 30% by the end of the contract, she said.

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