Police can't be trusted to understand patient's rights so they are barred from the Emergency Room. NPR:
The Salt Lake City hospital where a police officer roughly arrested a nurse who was protecting her patient's rights in July will no longer allow law enforcement agents inside its patient care areas. They'll now have to check in, rather than enter through the emergency room.
"Law enforcement who come to the hospital for any reason involving patients will be required to check in to the front desk of the hospital," said chief nursing officer Margaret Pearce of the University of Utah Hospital. "There, a hospital house supervisor will meet the officers to work through each request."
The new policy "was written the day after this incident" and was implemented within weeks, Pearce said. Here's how she described the goals for the change:
- Allow front-line patient care staff to focus on their work.
- Prevent disputes from taking place inside patient care units.
- Ensure only "highly trained people" work through such issues.
Used to be cops and nurses were on the same side as "public servants." As the Trump administration continues to militarize police forces around the country, watch other hospitals and service agencies step up to protect their clients from the police.
