BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) — The nurses union is speaking out about a violent patient at the state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital’s Zambarano campus, alleging he’s repeatedly attacked staff members and the state has failed to create a safe work environment.
The issue has spilled out publicly after a nurse alleged the latest attack happened on Friday. It comes on the heels of the R.I. Department of Administration last month rejecting a grievance filed by United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5019, a union representing nurses at the publicly funded hospital in Burrillville.
UNAP president Lynn Blais said members are “extremely frustrated.”
“He bites, he scratches, he hits, he punches,” Blais told 12 News on Thursday. “No one should have to work under those conditions.”
The patient — who has not been identified — was transferred in the spring to Zambarano after the state closed the Regan Building, a separate division of Eleanor Slater Hospital in Cranston, for renovations.
After arriving in Burrillville, the union alleged the patient quickly started assaulting staff and hurting himself. The grievance outlines multiple incidents when he allegedly acted violently, including throwing feces at a nurse, pulling the hair of another and assaulting two staff members.