CASE STUDY

Managing Workplace Violence Before It Became Headlines

THE CLIENT CHALLENGE

A community hospital in the Midwest faced a serious workplace violence incident when a white security guard physically struck an elderly Black patient with existing medical conditions.

The altercation escalated while the patient was being physically restrained from trying to leave the hospital against medical counsel, leading to injuries and concerns from the patient’s family, hospital leadership and staff.

Aware that the incident could gain media traction as a racially charged story, the hospital turned to Jarrard for crisis communications support to manage messaging, mitigate risk and maintain stability between all parties involved.

THE SOLUTION

Jarrard parachuted in immediately, collaborating with the team to initiate the following actions:

  • Partnered with internal and external legal counsel to align on risk management efforts and responses.
  • Developed a tiered internal communications strategy, outlining how to speak with caregivers of the patient, security personnel and broader hospital staff while equipping hospital leaders on how to address concerns and follow words with meaningful actions.
  • Conducted stakeholder interviews with the security team to assess training gaps and resource needs and to address internal tensions between their team and caregivers.
  • Supported legal counsel in communications around the termination of security personnel responsible for the incident.
  • Prepared media holding statements and external materials in case the incident became public.
  • Facilitated a long-term security review, leading to a partnership with Chartis to overhaul security training and protocols.

Zero

Media Stories

Zero

Regulatory investigations

Zero

Voluntary staff turnover

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