VA Hospital testing new panic alarm system
New details tonight about a veteran affairs’ inspector general’s report assessing Columbia’s VA hospital.
A report released late this afternoon finds the locked mental health unit’s nursing station did not have a panic alarm system that “ensures emergent response by staff and VA police.” Remember the hospital has been under scrutiny since a patient there, Rudy Perez, beat to death another patient a year ago.
We reached out to the hospital tonight and they tell us since November they’ve been testing what they call a nurse locator system that will be used as their panic alarm system. It notifies nursing station staff and a phone operator about a problem. They hope to have it completed by Friday. The VA supports the change.
