‘Copycat’ Shooting Threat Made by Illinois Nursing Home Worker
Failure to have a protocol in place for ensuring the safety of residents and staff in the event of an active shooter threat or incident violates CMS requirements for Emergency Response All Hazard Plan development and implementation, potentially resulting in charges of substandard quality of care, citations for immediate jeopardy, and the submission of false claims.
Compliance Perspective – Emergency Preparedness
Policies/Procedures: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Administrator will review the policies and procedures for addressing an active shooter threat or incident within the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan.
Training: The Compliance and Ethics Officer, as well as every department head, will ensure that staff are trained to respond according to the Emergency Response Plan’s protocols for addressing an active shooter threat or incident.
Audit: The Compliance and Ethics Officer should personally conduct an audit by scheduling periodic mock drills for an active shooter incident to determine the competency of the staff in exercising the Emergency Response Plan’s active shooter protocols.
ACTIVE SHOOTER PREVENTION AND RESPONSE
A disgruntled employee in an Illinois nursing home was recently arrested and charged with making threatening statements. The charges were based on complaints that the disgruntled man threatened to grab a weapon from his vehicle and “pull a Pratt.” He was referring to a mass shooting that happened in February when a previously fired Henry Pratt Company employee killed five workers and wounded six other people, including five policemen.
The arrested nursing home worker was overheard telling his fellow employees that he was “fed up with problems at work” and threatening a mass shooting. The police reported that someone called and indicated that there was a person with a weapon at the nursing home. However, when the police arrived and officers searched the man’s vehicle, they did not find any weapons.
The man was arrested and charged with a single count of disorderly conduct. He was later released on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 15.
