Several months ago, Napa State Hospital management distributed a memorandum to the medical staff stating that they had decided to utilize the Personal Duress Alarm System (PDAS) as the primary method to contact physicians, because management had determined that the hospital’s pager system was unreliable. UAPD was staunchly opposed to this new policy.

After Psych Tech Donna Gross was murdered by a patient on NSH grounds in 2010, enormous efforts went towards winning a host of safety improvements at the State hospitals.  That work continues to the present. The PDAS is a state-of-the-art system chosen, developed, and continuously refined with employee input.  At no time did the state legislature, Cal-OSHA, Coalition unions, or the DSH contemplate any use for PDAS except as a personal alarm. And, as PDAS’s sole purpose is to alert all staff in the vicinity of an emergency request for help due to attack, the system has the potential to save lives. Diverting its use for any other purpose undermines the system’s effectiveness. Nevertheless, recognizing that the hospital’s current pager system indeed is not reliable, the UAPD agreed to meet with DSH in order to negotiate implementation of the new policy.
Read more …

For several years UAPD members and staff have been working to improve employee and patient safety at the Department of State Hospitals (DSH).  Alongside other unions representing DSH workers, UAPD has been promoting legislation aimed at curbing violence and assaults inside DSH.  Several of those bills were passed into law this year.  This is a major victory, and a significant step forward in our campaign to curb violence against doctors and other medical professionals.  It’s also an example of what can be accomplished when doctors, the UAPD and AFSCME legislative departments, and our professional staff work together as we have done here.
Read more …

UAPD continues to push for safety enhancements at all of the Department of State Hospital (DSH) facilities.  Patton State Hospital recently launched a comprehensive personal alarm system similar to the one installed at Napa State Hospital in 2012.  In addition, a UAPD-backed bill to require the hospitals to create enhanced treatment units with higher security for the most violent patients is currently being considered by the State legislature.  Safety is a key concern of UAPD members at DSH.  The latest issue of  “Governing” notes that state workers in nursing and health care facilities have the highest workers compensation injury rates in America — 13.1 injuries per 100 employees per year.  That is higher than police officers or fire fighters.