Sioux City, Iowa — Assaults at hospitals increased at some locations in the state during the pandemic. That includes Sioux City where police reported six assaults of staff at MercyOne and five at UnityPoint St. Lukes.
In the Mercy One Emergency Department, Johnny Garza says they have a two-part training that first emphasizes dealing with situations as they escalate and how to get out of them.
He says there are alarm buttons in the ER for staff to get help if things do escalate.
Garza says the staff also have an alarm system that is linked to their ID badge.
Staff also have radios available. The assaults in Sioux City included eight nurses and four security guards. The University of Iowa recently reported that two-thirds of the aggravated assaults on the campus in 2020 happened at the University Hospitals and Clinics. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported this trend of staff assaults began in April — but the story said attacks on health care workers have been rising for years.
