On April 3 an armed civilian allegedly threatened staff at Rochester General Hospital while visiting his brother, who was a patient. Hospital officials said the situation was contained, and no one was hurt.
Now the system is actively working to improve security measures.
“Right now, you talk to three different people you hear three different versions of the story sometimes,” said Dr. Randall Green, president of Rochester General Hospital.
Green said the first step to safeguarding the hospital is getting to the root of the problem and attaining the right diagnosis.
“What exactly happened? What exactly went wrong? Where were there gaps, if any, and then understanding what we can permanently put in place to make sure that never happens again,” Green said.
Some of the changes, Green said, include making more access points “badge swipe only”, increasing security in areas where employees say they need more coverage, and hiring more peace officers.
“The permanent changes that need to happen ...to ensure that patients feel safe, so that staff feel safe..will be implemented as soon as we're really crystal clear on what happened and what needs to be done,” Green reiterated.
Police charged 35-year-old Gregory Strickland with several counts of weapons possession and menacing. If convicted, Strickland could face up to 15 years in prison.
