UPMC shooting highlights dangers facing health-care workers
Associated Press
Associated PressLinda Shields leaves flowers in front of the West York Police Department after a police officer was killed responding to a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A man who took staff members hostage in the ICU at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York County last weekend, killing a police officer and wounding five before he died in a shootout with police, was the most recent incident of increasing violence against U.S. health care workers.
Workplace violence in the health-care industry has significantly increased in recent years, studies show, leading hospitals locally and across the country to review their security measures in the wake of Saturday’s shooting.
UPMC President and CEO Leslie Davis, in a public message to staff, said the hospital “is profoundly grateful for the bravery shown by our staff, first responders, EMS partners, and all who acted with courage and support for one another,” and mourned the loss of fallen West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte, 30, his family and colleagues, and the injured UPMC Memorial employees.
“Our UPMC Police and Security remain on-site with enhanced presence. Across all UPMC hospitals, our armed police officers are devoted to keeping us safe,” Davis wrote. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to the safety and well-being of all at our facilities.”
Among UPMC facilities are UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene hospitals.
According to a report from the York County district attorney, the shooter intentionally targeted the hospital after he had been in contact with the ICU unit last week in regard to medical treatment for an unidentified person.
American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack issued a statement following the shooting.
“We are deeply mourning the tragic loss of life in (Saturday’s) horrific hospital shooting at UPMC. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and the entire UPMC community. Hospitals are sanctuaries of healing, where dedicated nurses, physicians, and other team members work tirelessly to care for patients. We cannot allow these types of violent acts to persist,” he wrote. “As a nation, we must unite and take decisive action to end this relentless cycle of violence.”
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), violence against health-care workers occurs at a rate that is four times higher than the national average across other industries, meaning health-care workers experience significantly more workplace violence compared to other occupations.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that health-care and social assistance employees suffered almost three-fourths of nonfatal attacks on workers in the private sector in 2021 and 2022, for a rate more than five times the national average.
In addition to using metal detectors, more hospitals are screening visitors for threats at hospital entrances, including emergency departments.
American Nurses Association President Jennifer S. Mensik said workplace violence – often in emergency departments, ICUs, and maternity wards – is “a longstanding and unresolved issue in health care,” and she asked for stronger mandates and enforcement in order to effectively track and mitigate workplace violence.
“It is a growing public health crisis that demands urgent attention,” said Mensik, who said the issue worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, “overburdening an already strained health-care system.”
Bill Toland, Director of Public Relations for Allegheny Health Network/Highmark Health, said the hospital system constantly evaluates and adjusts its security and safety procedures at all of its hospitals.
All of AHN’s hospitals have metal detectors and a dedicated police force that serves the hospitals.
“The safety of our staff, our patients and their families is our top priority,” said Toland.
Toland said Highmark Health and AHN launched its in-house police force about seven years ago, and the health system has made “considerable security and workforce investments since then,” growing its on-campus police presence.
Toland emphasized that the health system’s comprehensive safety and security strategy has been ongoing, and is not in response to any safety incident.
UPMC’s Davis said the shooting “underscores the pressing need for greater security measures in hospitals.
“We must ensure that those who dedicate their lives to caring for others are not left vulnerable to violence,” Davis wrote to staff. “No health-care worker should ever fear that their workplace could become a crime scene. No family should ever face the heartbreak of losing a loved one who left for a shift and never came home.”