Pennsylvania Hospital Employee Attacked by Patient

Safety at Work

Altoona, PA (WorkersCompensation.com) – The family and co-workers of a nurse attacked by a patient in Pennsylvania have raised more than $40,000 to help with his care.

Travis Dunn, a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center nurse, was beaten unconscious by a patient Saturday. Officials said Bradley Lloyd, 40, was brought into the UPMC emergency room where Dunn was working on Saturday night. According to the criminal complaint, police were called when Lloyd started attacking Dunn.

When police arrived, they found Dunn unconscious on the floor. He’d been hit in the head and the face by Lloyd. Lloyd was trying to escape the hospital but surrendered to officers after they aimed a taser at him.

Dunn was flown to the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh for multiple injuries including a cracked skull, a brain bleed, a broken tooth and other injuries.

Police said Lloyd was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, and disorderly conduct, among other charges.

The hospital said Dunn has returned home and will be covered by workers’ compensation. A spokesman for the hospital said Dunn would receive full-pay and benefits, and would not need to use any of his PTO.

“I am pleased to share that Travis Dunn, our patient care technician injured in the horrific attack on Saturday, has been released from the hospital and will be continuing his recovery at home with continued support from us," UPMC Altoona President Mike Corso said in a statement. "Worker's compensation is immediately in place, there is a priority process in place for any insurance claims, and the employee will see no out-of-pocket expenses.”

Dunn’s co-workers said he has become the face of the fight for more safety protections against violent attacks for nurses and other medical personnel.

"We've been saying for a long time, you know, if things don't change here, somebody's going to get seriously hurt, and that has happened now," Jaime Balsamo, a registered nurse at UPMC Altoona told CBS Pittsburgh. Balsamo said hospital workers are angry after the attack.

"We've been calling on UPMC for a very long time and calling on legislators for a very long time to take the necessary steps to help prevent workplace violence and these types of injuries," Balsamo said.

Balsamo said workers are calling on the hospital to adopt a zero-tolerance policy against workplace violence and that the hospital put up signs indicating that, and that assault on a health care worker is a felony offense.

Unions for healthcare workers, SEIU Pennsylvania and AFSCME Local 691 have also demanded the hospital install panic alarms in every patient care area, metal detectors at patient and visitor entry points, enhanced security presence and faster response times in high-risk areas during off-peak hours. The unions are also demanding mandatory de-escalation and workplace safety training for all staff.

Legislation to protect healthcare workers, the Pennsylvania Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention Act, pass the House in May, but has not advanced in the Senate, state Rep. Bridget Kosierowki, (D-114th District), said.

"We've heard too many times of incidents inside our commonwealth that have led to catastrophic incidents, like the gentleman who walked into the intensive care unit in western with a gun, and used it on our healthcare workers,” she said.

A GoFundMe account for Dunn started by his friends had raised more than $54,000 by Thursday evening.

For its part, UPMC Altoona released a statement saying they are committed to maintaining a safe environment for its workers.

“When any member of our UPMC family is injured, our first priority is their health, recovery, and well-being. We stand with them and their colleagues, and we remain unwavering in our commitment to providing a safe, secure environment for everyone who works, receives care, or visits our facilities,” the hospital said in a statement. “The recent incident at UPMC Altoona was a tragic, violent act by a patient in crisis. We have a comprehensive, continuous program to evaluate, identify and prevent conditions that may place people in harm’s way. This includes engaging top national security experts to assess and advise on enhancements, holding meetings with employees and physicians to hear their concerns and ideas, and implementing hundreds of improvements — including advanced education and de-escalation training, active drills, panic buttons, secure rooms, reduced access points, and enhanced facility entrance technologies.”

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