CVMC installs metal detectors in emergency room

CVMC is adding metal detectors to its emergency room in an effort to increase staff and patient safety. (Archive photo)

Berlin, Vermont- Central Vermont Medical Center has installed metal detectors at emergency room entrances and now has a clear bag policy. Everyone entering the emergency room will be screened, including patients, visitors and employees.

Patients will be given priority in the event of a medical emergency. This new safety measure is a response to rising violence against healthcare workers nationwide, something CVMC nurses are no stranger to. In recent years, medical center security has confiscated knives, guns and several other types of weapons.

“Violence against health care workers is a sad reality, even here in rural Vermont. These measures will help ensure the safety of everyone in the emergency department, including staff, who are there for all of us 24/7, as well as patients and their families, who come to see us at any time. hour to seek help and rightly expect a measure of safety in doing so,” said Benjamin Smith, MD, medical director of the CVMC Emergency Department.

We hope this updated safety policy will reduce wait times and increase safety at the facility.