An armed robbery occurred at an Alabama nursing home on May 4, 2023. According to management staff at the facility, two former employees came in the early morning hours and held those on duty at gunpoint, while searching for narcotics.
A spokesperson for the facility’s management company said that the robbers took the security keys for the medication cabinet from the nurse on duty, who was in charge of security for those medications. They then took medications from the locked cabinet.
The spokesperson said that no residents saw the robbery happen and no staff members were injured. He also said that the nursing home has camera systems and security in place. The robbers, however, were former employees and knew how to get the keys because of their familiarity with the facility.
John Matson, of the Alabama Nursing Home Association (ANHA), said employees are trained for these types of situations. “Staff are trained in nursing homes to respond to various situations,” he said. “You are certainly trained to respond to something such as a tornado, but you also train and have policies if there is something like this, criminal, that has happened. It is important that nursing home employees, when something like this does happen, that they remain alert and respond to that training and act appropriately. We are glad to see that in this instance, it appears that they did so.”
The management company’s spokesperson said they were providing counseling for all staff and residents. He also said the facility’s security cameras helped the police with the arrest of the former employees, and that nearly all of the narcotics were recovered.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Employers are obligated to comply with OSHA guidelines and standards, and to ensure that all healthcare staff work in a safe environment. Federal regulations on emergency preparedness include specific requirements for nursing homes’ emergency preparedness plans, such as requirements that facilities complete a facility-based and community-based, all-hazards risk assessment and develop strategies to address the risks identified. Emergency plans, training, exercises, and procedures require frequent review and updates to address modern-day safety realities, and to keep healthcare employees safe.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures related to workplace violence and active shooter prevention and response. Ensure that the policies and procedures incorporate OSHA’s guidelines and standards that are designed to support a safe working environment. Review your emergency preparedness plan and update as necessary. Make sure the plan is available to staff so they can easily access the guidelines for the various components should an emergency occur.
- Train all staff on your policies and procedures related to workplace violence, active shooter, and emergency preparedness. Include this education in new hire orientation and annually to all staff. Repeat training should an incident occur. Ensure that all leadership staff are knowledgeable of OSHA’s guidelines and standards for a safe working environment. Conduct drills for the various disaster response plans to ensure staff competency with each. Document that these trainings and drills occurred, and file the signed documents in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically audit to ensure that staff are trained and knowledgeable of the OSHA guidance provided in your policies and procedures related to all categories of workplace violence, and that these protocols are being followed. Also audit staff to ensure that they are aware of their roles during an emergency per your emergency preparedness plan.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
