Lt. Gregory Dean Jr. recently provided tips on personal safety and workplace violence to SP 5-2 staff. Protective Services is holding similar talks in departments throughout the hospital.

Personal safety, workplace violence prevention part of Protective Services “road show”  

Patient safety is a key component of departments’ Morning Huddles, but some special guests put a different spin on safety during a recent huddle on the Heart and Vascular Center Cardiac Medicine unit (SP 5-2).

Nick Proto, Yale New Haven Hospital director of Protective Services, and Lt. Gregory Dean Jr., security supervisor, talked to staff – including many night-shift staff – about protecting their safety, inside and outside of the hospital and in their personal lives. 

One of the key messages Dean conveyed was the importance of “situational awareness” regardless of where you are.

“I see a lot of employees walking by themselves in the early morning, in the dark, in the garages or on their way to or from the hospital,” he said. “People have their ear buds in, they’re on their phones, and they’re not paying attention to their surroundings.”

He shared a number of safety tips, including:

• Walk with at least one other person on the way to or from the hospital; use the hospital shuttle service; or call Protective Services (York Street Campus: 203-688-2500; Saint Raphael Campus: 203-789-3800) to request an escort or ride.
• Download the free ELERTS “See Say Now” smartphone app. In an emergency at any YNHH location, activate the app to connect directly to Protective Services.
• Secure belongings while inside and outside your department and the hospital. “If you have something super-valuable, leave it at home, or in the trunk of your car,” Dean said.

Proto noted that the hospital has 2,500 cameras in common areas, 2,600 badge card-readers on various doors, panic buttons on almost all units (with many more to be installed) and other safety measures, “but I need the eyes and ears of every employee to keep our hospital safe.”

With a focus on preventing workplace violence, Dean and Proto also advised employees to be alert with patients and visitors and watch for signs of escalating behaviors. Proto encouraged employees to report all incidents of workplace violence and inappropriate behavior, such as unwanted comments or touching. Protective Services is working with the New Haven Police Department and the judicial system to hold people who are assaulting and threatening hospital staff accountable, he said.

Protective Services has been conducting brief talks like the one on SP 5-2 throughout the hospital, Proto said. To request a Protective Services talk, call the dispatch centers at either campus (phone numbers above) and ask for the shift lieutenant. For more information on personal safety and workplace violence, visit Departments and Services on the YNHHS employee intranet.