A 26-year-old student who came to St. Joseph Medical Center in Houston for treatment of possible bipolar disorder was eventually shocked with a Taser and shot in the chest and then then handcuffed by two off-duty Houston police officers, moonlighting as security guards, according to an article on The New York Times.
Patients seeking help at hospitals across the country have instead been injured or killed by those guarding the institutions, the article said.
Healthcare facilities are not required to report these incidents, so little data is available. Official reports have identified more than a dozen in recent years.
As more American hospitals are arming guards, healthcare officials are debating about whether such steps improve safety or endanger patients.
How Efficiency Checklists Help Hospitals Save Energy, Water and Money
Designing with Heart: Seen Health Center Blends Cultural Warmth and Clinical Care
Rutgers Health and University Hospital Breaks Ground on Campus Expansion
What to Consider When Modernizing Healthcare Facilities
Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital to Build New Tower