The Pembroke Hospital in Pembroke, Mass., has armed some of its staff with walkie-talkies to call for help in a violent situation, according to an article on the Pembroke Mariner & Express website.
Last fall, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration told the for-profit psychiatric hospital to equip its staff with panic buttons and improve staffing levels.
OSHA inspectors found that the only way for staff at the 120-bed facility to call for help in a dangerous situation was to use the hospital intercom.
Surprise inspections of Pembroke and three other psychiatric treatment facilities owned by Arbour Health System found serious patient-care violations and prompted the state to assign an on-site monitor to oversee changes.
A summary of the violations found at the four sites included inoperable bathrooms and dirty and cluttered rooms that blocked access to emergency medical equipment.
Why New Era of Care Demands an Ambulatory Facilities Approach
ClearSky Health Plans New Medical Rehabilitation Hospital in North Carolina
Bacon County Health Services Reports Data Breach
Building Around Care: Lessons in Modernizing Active Healthcare Environments
St. Luke's Heart Hospital Opens at Anderson Campus in Pennsylvania