North Memorial Works to Address Security After Large Fight
North Memorial Health Hospital is working to improve security after a large family fight put the emergency room on lock down Thursday morning. It took seven agencies to stop the altercation, which involved 50 to 75 people.
It started after someone with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound was brought to the hospital from Faribault. No injuries resulted from the fight, but one person was arrested, and later released. The lock down was lifted after about 90 minutes.
Robbinsdale Police Chief Jim Frazen said it’s not uncommon to have unruly incidents at North Memorial. Frazen added that the hospital has been taking measures to increase safety.
“They’re going to have a deputy sheriff there now 24/7. So, there’s always going to be one sworn law enforcement officer on the premises,” said Frazen.
Following Thursday’s brawl, the Minnesota Nurses Association released a statement saying,
“Incidents such as what happened at North Memorial are becoming increasingly common as workplace violence incidents continue to rise. Minnesota’s hospital workers deserve better.”
The nurses union statement goes on to say that statewide protections are needed for hospital workers and hospitals need to do a better job of preventing these incidents.
