BUTLER, Pa. — Police arrested and charged a patient at Butler Memorial Hospital after an incident at the hospital over the weekend. They said the man assaulted a nurse while that nurse was trying to calm him down.
“You don’t expect to come to work and get hurt. You want to come to work, do your job, take care of patients, and go home,” said Emily Gildner, of Butler, after hearing the news that police identified the patient as Timothy Butler.
According to court paperwork, Butler Township police were called to the hospital by hospital security.
A male nurse told the officer he saw several staff members at the hospital trying to calm Butler down.
The nurse said he tried to keep the left side of Butler’s body still while he was being restrained.
That’s when police said Butler was able to get his hands free and punch him on the right side of the face twice and elbow him in the head.
Police said Butler also tried to bite the nurse.
Police said the nurse’s head was very swollen, but did not need medical attention.
Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek reached out to Independence Health System, which owns Butler Memorial Hospital. They sent a statement to Channel 11.
“Independence Health System is aware of an incident involving a nurse and a patient at Butler Memorial Hospital. Due to patient privacy laws, we cannot comment on specific details,” said Kelley Skoloda, a spokesperson with Independence Health System. “The safety of our patients and employees is our top priority. We do not condone violence of any kind against healthcare workers. We are working with the appropriate authorities and following established protocols to support our staff and maintain a safe environment for everyone.”
“I feel for all of these workers here and there’s already a shortage of nurses,” Gildner said. “The more and more these incidents happen, you can’t blame people for not wanting to go into the field.”
11 Investigates reported extensively on attacks on healthcare workers last year, hearing from hundreds in the healthcare profession.
Last summer, a state survey showed 93% of healthcare workers are afraid at work.
In March, nurses at Butler Memorial picketed, calling for safer working conditions.
In August, the hospital added metal detectors and security personnel to the Brady Street and Tower entrances.
Channel 11 reached out to the new president of the union representing nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital about this incident, but did not hear back.
“I think that a lot of places try to do adequate training and prep people, but if the person’s bigger than you, they’re going to out-power you and it’s not going to matter what you’re going to do,” Gildner said.
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