Pennsylvania healthcare workers are urging local hospital leaders to strengthen their commitment to workforce safety following an attack on an employee at Pittsburgh-based UPMC.
Travis Dunn, a patient care technician at UPMC Altoona (Pa.), was attacked Nov. 1 by a patient in the emergency department. He underwent emergency surgery after suffering a fractured skull and brain bleed, according to an open letter and petition from healthcare workers.
The letter also cites a Feb. 22 fatal shooting at UPMC Memorial in York, Pa., and urges executives at UPMC and other Pennsylvania health systems to invest more heavily in workforce safety. Requested measures include safe staffing levels and mandatory deescalation and safety training, along with the following:
- Development of comprehensive, unit-specific violence prevention plans with direct input from front-line staff
- Guaranteed reporting, investigation and action for every violent incident
- Publication of workplace violence data across hospitals to promote transparency and accountability
- Installation of metal detectors at all public entry points, panic alarms in every patient care area, increased numbers of trained security personnel, and support for staff affected by violence at all UPMC hospitals
A UPMC spokesperson shared the following statement with Becker’s on Nov. 12:
“At UPMC, the safety of our team members, patients and visitors is a responsibility we take seriously. Guided by national security experts and ongoing feedback from our teams, we’ve made hundreds of safety upgrades this year including de-escalation and workplace violence prevention training, signage reinforcing our zero-tolerance policy, panic buttons, secure rooms, active drills, limited access points and additional entrance technologies such as metal detectors. We remain committed to listening, improving and protecting our people. Any claim suggesting otherwise ignores the significant progress we’ve made and continue to make alongside our team members.”
Mr. Dunn has been discharged from the hospitals and will receive full pay and benefits during his recovery, UPMC Altoona President Mike Corso said in a Nov. 7 video posted to the system’s Facebook page.
“Travis is our No. 1 priority,” Mr. Corso said. “I’m happy to tell you that he is at home recovering with the full weight of UPMC behind him.”
Hospitals across the country have seen increasing workplace violence. In 2024, separate studies found nearly half of nurses reported rising violence in their units over the previous year, and emergency department nurses experienced verbal or physical violence on a daily basis. Some health systems have responded by creating leadership roles dedicated to security and emergency preparedness, while others have launched their own police forces.
“We stand with Travis, and with every healthcare worker who’s been threatened, attacked, or traumatized on the job,” healthcare workers wrote in the letter. “It’s time for all health systems to rise to the occasion and we are calling on UPMC to lead the way. As frontline healthcare workers across the state, we look forward to working with you to protect our patients and our staff.”
