Gordon Forgey

Two hospital shootings took place recently in Spokane.

Hospitals are not normally considered places of violence, except in movies and on T.V.

Yet, violence, whether with guns or not, is a growing reality at hospitals, especially in emergency rooms.

It has even become a concern in Whitman County. Disturbances and violent patients are not new at Whitman Hospital and Medical Center.

In fact, the Colfax Police Department has started to position officers there during the early morning hours.

The new program gives the hospital, and for that matter the rest of the community, full 24-hour police coverage. Of particular concern is the potential for problems in the emergency room during those hours.

In the past, on-call officers would respond to problems there at certain hours. Reaction time can be longer in these cases.

If response time is not quick in dangerous situations, the hospital staff is left to its own devices.

This new coverage policy reduces the risks posed by violent people, whether they be patients, visitors or those newly brought into the emergency room.

It is an important change. It is good for the community at large and for the hospital and its staff and patients.

As such, it is a good community partnership.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher