Nurses Ask for Security Investigation

Nurses at Marquette General Hospital are asking to meet with MGH administrators regarding security issues.

The request comes in the wake of an alleged knife assault on a nurse.

MGH registered nurse Carolyn Hietamaki has released a statement:

“While it’s fortunate that no one was hurt during this incident, we can’t afford to ignore the nurses’ security concerns and the serious risks they face. MGH nurses are encountering more volatile situations, in part because of the rise in substance abuse patients and recent policy changes by the hospital.

“Working with our Michigan Nurses Association representative, MGH nurses have asked hospital administrators for an immediate meeting to address this incident and the circumstances that led to it. MGH nurses want to make sure our hospital is a safe place not just for nurses but also for patients and their families. Hospital officials have agreed to meet with us, and it is imperative that the hospital formulate an action plan to prevent something even more serious from happening.”

48-year-old Robert Allen Wallace of Marquette is in the Marquette County Jail on a felonious assault charge.

He’s accused of brandishing a knife while speaking with a nurse in the emergency room waiting area Saturday night.