Jefferson University Hospital Details What Went Wrong, What's Being Done After Deadly Shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Jefferson University Hospital officials now admit there was a delay in alerting staffers about the deadly shooting that unfolded on the ninth floor early Monday morning. Now, several security protocols are also being changed.
For the first time since the shooting, the hospital has officially released a statement saying what went wrong and what's being done about it.
Days after an active shooter put the city on high alert and sent first responders running for cover, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is assuring the public and its employees that serious changes are taking place.
"No matter what's going on, the protocol should have been in place no matter what," one woman said.
The shift comes after police say 55-year old Stacey Hayes entered the hospital with scrubs, a mask, and multiple weapons. According to police, Hayes, who was a nursing assistant, made it all the way to the ninth floor where he shot and killed fellow nursing assistant Anrae James just after midnight Monday. Authorities would later find an AR-15 and numerous weapons on Hayes, police said.
In a statement, the hospital called the incident a planned act of violence that enforcement measures would not have prevented, but acknowledged that "deficiencies and human error played a part in delaying our emergency communications."
Because of this, the hospital says they are making the following changes.
- We have contracted additional security staff
- We are collaborating with the Philadelphia Police for an enhanced presence on our campus.
- We have initiated a more vigilant screening process for more entrances. All individuals entering the hospital will be subject to enhanced screening protocols, including staff, vendors and visitors.
- We have reduced entrances to the main hospital after hours
- We closed every ground-level entrance that is not staffed.
- We are committed to more "live drills" for active shooters.
"Security measures should be in place for all institutions, public places, especially with the vulnerability of people who come through Jefferson," one man said.
The other changes involve improving communication, such as overhead pages and the Jeff Alert text system.
In a statement released Thursday, the hospital admitted that it took too long to notify staffers of an active shooter situation and that some learned about it from text messages and social media.
Those adjustments, some say, are just the start.
Officials also addressed gun violence in that statement. They say the time to demand change relative to gun violence to enhance safety across the city comes next.