Ask HRC: Protecting Patients When Gang Violence is Feared

A Healthcare Risk Control (HRC) member recently asked where to look for policies on handling patients who may have been victims of gang-related crime. The member's concern is specific to limiting access to the patient in order to protect him/her, other patients, and our staff from another attempt to shoot him/her by an opposing gang. The member's security force does not carry guns. Here is how HRC responded:

A security management/violence prevention policy contributed to the HRC by Hill Country Memorial Health System (Fredericksburg, Texas) does not specifically address gang violence, but it does recommend a series of steps to take to protect patients threatened with violence. The policy...