WHAT:   Registered Nurses who work in the Encino Hospital Medical Center Emergency Department will hold a press conference in front of the hospital to report on security and safety issues that still plague the facility.

WHY:   On June 3, 2022, two nurses and a doctor were stabbed by a patient inside the emergency room at Encino Hospital Medical Center. The incident—which took place just days after a fatal shooting at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma—was a frightening reminder that hospital staff work amid a constant threat of workplace violence. Multiple studies have revealed that workplace violence is a daily risk for hospital nurses. The frequency of violent incidents has also steadily increased in recent years.

In the aftermath of the attack at Encino, hospital management pledged to provide trauma counseling and training to hospital staff. Nurses say none of that support ever materialized, and that they continue to feel unsafe. Nurses report that there are not enough security officers or metal detectors to prevent weapons from being brought into the hospital, and they say that existing security protocols do not enhance safety. They point to a hospital policy that requires nurses to check patients’ bags for contraband, increasing the chance of escalation.

Nurses are calling on the hospital to involve staff in designing policies on workplace violence.

“Even before the attack on our Emergency Department, Nurses at Encino Hospital were calling for more security,” said Gloria Mateos, an Emergency Department nurse. “That incident should have woken them up. The fact is that the hospital never listened. Even now, they brush us to the side when we offer solutions,” Mateos said.

WHO:   Registered Nurses at Encino Hospital Medical Center, joined by community allies.

WHEN:  Friday, June  2, 11:00 AM

WHERE: Encino Hospital Medical Center, 16237 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91436