The fatal shooting of a Tuscaloosa nurse is intensifying concerns about safety and security at hospitals across central Alabama, following another deadly shooting earlier this year at a Birmingham-area medical facility.Ada Doss, a nurse at DCH Regional Medical Center, was fatally shot Tuesday while trying to leave the hospital where she worked. Authorities said a man now in custody was attempting to rob her.The shooting came just weeks after a man entered Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital in Jefferson County in March and fatally shot his wife, who was a patient there, before killing himself.The incidents have sparked renewed scrutiny of hospital security standards in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public Health, which licenses hospitals in the state, requires facilities to maintain safe premises and controlled environments for patients, staff and visitors. However, state regulations do not mandate armed security guards, metal detectors or specific active shooter protocols.The rules also do not include statewide requirements for visitor screening procedures, cybersecurity standards or staffing ratios for hospital security officers. Those decisions are largely left to individual hospital systems and accrediting organizations.Several people who currently work at DCH, or have in the past, have posted on social media saying this is not the first time they have felt unsafe in the hospital’s parking lot. They are calling on hospital leadership to provide stronger security measures to keep employees safe.Video below: Nurse says she feared for safety before fatal DCH shootingOne current DCH nurse, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of losing her job, said she is scared to go to work and that the feeling is not new.The nurse said employees park in a lot far from the hospital entrance, and that she regularly parks in the same area where the shooting happened. She said she often leaves work around midnight and has previously asked security officers to walk her to her car because she felt unsafe. According to the nurse, security personnel told her that escorts were not typically provided.She also noted that visitors entering DCH are not required to pass through metal detectors unless they enter through the emergency room.The nurse said she is also concerned about a policy she believes limits healthcare workers’ ability to protect themselves.“Now they’re not supposed to carry any type of pepper spray, anything that can help them protect themselves if they need to,” she said. “I feel like letting people have some type of personal protective equipment might help if a situation like this were to happen again.”In a statement released Thursday, DCH Health System said it continues to mourn the loss of Doss and is working to support her family while reviewing security procedures across its campuses.”DCH is conducting a comprehensive review of all security measures, both inside the hospital and on our campus grounds,” officials said. “Immediate enhancements including the addition of uniformed off-duty police officers overnight, increasing visible security presence (especially at shift change across our campuses), expanding training and resetting expectations for security personnel, and ensuring that security personnel are available to offer escorts to vehicles.”Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox used the shooting to call attention to what he described as broader failures in Alabama’s mental health system.“For decades, the City of Tuscaloosa has called on the Alabama Department of Mental Health to address critical gaps in their system,” Maddox said. “The continued practice of transitioning individuals with serious mental illnesses into the community without adequate support, structure, or oversight has proven to be a failed experiment.”>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13Maddox called for an increase in acute and long-term state-funded mental health beds, saying probate judges and mental health officers currently have limited options for people in crisis.He also announced the city is reaffirming to Alabama Department of Mental Health centers and funded agencies their responsibility to notify law enforcement when a patient poses a serious threat of violence.“Public safety has always been, and will remain, our top priority,” Maddox said. He added that Lt. Craig Parker, commander of the Behavioral Intervention Team, has his support to develop a proposal outlining additional resources the city can use “to fill the void left by the State.” This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —
The fatal shooting of a Tuscaloosa nurse is intensifying concerns about safety and security at hospitals across central Alabama, following another deadly shooting earlier this year at a Birmingham-area medical facility.
Ada Doss, a nurse at DCH Regional Medical Center, was fatally shot Tuesday while trying to leave the hospital where she worked. Authorities said a man now in custody was attempting to rob her.
The shooting came just weeks after a man entered Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital in Jefferson County in March and fatally shot his wife, who was a patient there, before killing himself.
The incidents have sparked renewed scrutiny of hospital security standards in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public Health, which licenses hospitals in the state, requires facilities to maintain safe premises and controlled environments for patients, staff and visitors. However, state regulations do not mandate armed security guards, metal detectors or specific active shooter protocols.
The rules also do not include statewide requirements for visitor screening procedures, cybersecurity standards or staffing ratios for hospital security officers. Those decisions are largely left to individual hospital systems and accrediting organizations.
Several people who currently work at DCH, or have in the past, have posted on social media saying this is not the first time they have felt unsafe in the hospital’s parking lot. They are calling on hospital leadership to provide stronger security measures to keep employees safe.
Video below: Nurse says she feared for safety before fatal DCH shooting
One current DCH nurse, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of losing her job, said she is scared to go to work and that the feeling is not new.
The nurse said employees park in a lot far from the hospital entrance, and that she regularly parks in the same area where the shooting happened. She said she often leaves work around midnight and has previously asked security officers to walk her to her car because she felt unsafe.
According to the nurse, security personnel told her that escorts were not typically provided.
She also noted that visitors entering DCH are not required to pass through metal detectors unless they enter through the emergency room.
The nurse said she is also concerned about a policy she believes limits healthcare workers’ ability to protect themselves.
“Now they’re not supposed to carry any type of pepper spray, anything that can help them protect themselves if they need to,” she said. “I feel like letting people have some type of personal protective equipment might help if a situation like this were to happen again.”
In a statement released Thursday, DCH Health System said it continues to mourn the loss of Doss and is working to support her family while reviewing security procedures across its campuses.
“DCH is conducting a comprehensive review of all security measures, both inside the hospital and on our campus grounds,” officials said. “Immediate enhancements including the addition of uniformed off-duty police officers overnight, increasing visible security presence (especially at shift change across our campuses), expanding training and resetting expectations for security personnel, and ensuring that security personnel are available to offer escorts to vehicles.”
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox used the shooting to call attention to what he described as broader failures in Alabama’s mental health system.
“For decades, the City of Tuscaloosa has called on the Alabama Department of Mental Health to address critical gaps in their system,” Maddox said. “The continued practice of transitioning individuals with serious mental illnesses into the community without adequate support, structure, or oversight has proven to be a failed experiment.”
>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13
Maddox called for an increase in acute and long-term state-funded mental health beds, saying probate judges and mental health officers currently have limited options for people in crisis.
He also announced the city is reaffirming to Alabama Department of Mental Health centers and funded agencies their responsibility to notify law enforcement when a patient poses a serious threat of violence.
“Public safety has always been, and will remain, our top priority,” Maddox said. He added that Lt. Craig Parker, commander of the Behavioral Intervention Team, has his support to develop a proposal outlining additional resources the city can use “to fill the void left by the State.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.