'Movement' Against Workplace Violence To Protect Nurses Takes Shape On LI

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Pinpoint Inc., a company that manufactures advanced staff safety systems designed to provide immediate assistance in crisis situations, announced its embarkment on a movement to end violence in the workplace for healthcare workers.

The mission was born after a brutal attack in Florida left nurses across a broad canvas shocked.

The company is currently based in Flexible IT, located at 290 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge.

Nurses are at high risk for assaults and violence in the workplace because they are in close proximity to patients, according to the American Nurses Association.

Approximately one in four nurses are assaulted; only 20 to 60 percent of incidents are reported; and 13 percent of missed work days are because of workplace violence, according to the American Nurses Association.

Two nurses per hour are assaulted in the acute care setting, according to a Press Ganey Survey Report from 2021.

Huntington Hospital, part of Northwell Health, is "always looking at new ways to create a safe work environment" for its team members, said Nick Fitterman, president of Huntington Hospital.

"Healthcare workers are subject to more workplace violence than any other profession," Fitterman said. "We will continue to look for and invest in any resources, including technology, to protect our dedicated professionals. Our staff members are our number one investment and creating safe environments for them to do their best work is essential."

Pinpoint, which strives to protect healthcare workers from workplace violence, offers a product that allows workers to de-escalate threats before they turn into attacks. Nurses wear an identity card, which has two buttons on the back: one for de-escalation and another for panic situations. The buttons are discreet and summon help for nurses when needed.

The de-escalation button sets off an alarm that nurses or response staff on a singular unit respond to, while the panic button alerts all units in case of an emergency, said James Chang, a project engineer at Pinpoint. The de-escalation button is there to prevent "panic button fatigue," Chang explained.

"What we’ve found is that when you have a singular panic button, there tends to be fatigue, and then no one will want to press it," Chang told Patch. "You’re so often hearing the alarm go off. The de-escalation button is not a silent alarm, but is a lower call level when it comes to hospitals."

De-escalation situations sometimes turn into emergency situations where the panic button is then pressed, Chang said.

While Pinpoint has been around for 30 years, the company was inspired to launch an active crusade against workplace violence after Leelamma Lal, a 67-year-old nurse at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, Florida, was brutally attacked by a patient on Feb. 18, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said, The Palm Beach Post reported.

The patient, Stephen Scantlebury of Wellington, faces a second-degree attempted murder charge in connection with the attack, The Palm Beach Post reported. The attack could leave Lal blind after Scantlebury fractured "essentially every bone" in the nurse's face, critically injuring her, the outlet added.

The assault resulted in "significant life altering head trauma including several facial bone fractures, brain bleeds, and severe eye injuries," Alex John, a family friend of Lal's, wrote on a GoFundMe created on behalf of Lal's children, Cindy, Chris, Cilji, and Edward. More than $172K has been raised as of Thursday afternoon.

Jordan Belous, marketing manager of Pinpoint, called the attack on Lal "horrific." Belous said what happened to Lal is not an "isolated incident."

"Violence against healthcare workers is a crisis happening far too often," she said. "We refuse to accept this as the norm. Enough is enough. It’s time to take a stand against workplace violence."

She encouraged people to join the movement and support the cause of ending workplace violence.

“When we heard about the incident, it’s a tragedy," Belous said. "Everyone at our office, when they heard about it, their jaw was on the floor. We come to work every day and feel safe. We’re not worried about being attacked. It’s not part of the job description for nurses to be a punching bag."

Pinpoint is selling T-shirts to raise money for Lal and her family. People can purchase a T-shirt to support Lal here. The shirts, selling for $25, are black. The front design states, "Enough is enough" in white lettering, while the back reads, "Protect nurses from workplace violence" in white and orange lettering.

Pinpoint strives to take Lal's story and use it as a catalyst to prevent workplace violence from happening "every single day," Belous said.

"Knowing that we are able to raise awareness and potentially stop workplace violence for other nurses and helping [Lal] in her recovery is really meaningful," she said. "It aligns with our mission. Enough is enough. Protect these nurses. Protect nurses from workplace violence. This has been our mission statement for 30 years. We’re not being ambulance chasers or anything like that. This is what we’ve been doing. This is what we specialize in. Being able to show everyone, publicly, that this our passion — it means a lot."

Nurses have been "up in arms all over social media" since Lal was attacked, Belous said. Pinpoint, she said, specializes in protecting healthcare workers — specifically nurses — from workplace violence.

"We want to show the nurses that they are not alone," she said. "There are big companies like us that are aware this is going on. We are working every single day to stop workplace violence. We hope that through social media, through word of mouth, through research that they do on our product, more nurses will get wind of the product, more nurses will get wind of the solution and together, we can make some noise. Get passionate about it and get everyone angry enough to make a change."

The goal of the movement, Belous said, is to raise awareness of an issue that is "usually silenced."

She hopes more hospitals will start using Pinpoint's product so nurses can feel safe at work.

Jason DeLucia, a health care safety specialist at Pinpoint, noted the company's product is installed in multiple hospitals and healthcare systems around the country, including Northwell Health. Other companies that use Pinpoint include Rutgers Health, Nuvance Health, UVA Health, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, and more.

DeLucia advised hospitals across the country to implement a system like Pinpoint.

"We are that barrier between safety and not safety," DeLucia said. "Our system gives you the opportunity to call for help very discreetly. Having a system in place, whether it’s us, or a system in general, can be the deciding factor on turning a simple situation into no situation at all."

Pinpoint trains hospital staff on how to use their product, Chang said. Hospitals then decide on how to run the protocol.

DeLucia said practitioners should always be aware of their surroundings and to be wary of warning signs of escalation when with a patient.

Warning signs, DeLucia said, include a patient's fists clenching, their face turning red, they get agitated, their tone of voice changes, they start pacing the floor or walking in circles, or they might start sweating.

"Things like that are definitely key signs to look out for, because that usually leads to the escalation part that comes after," DeLucia said.

DeLucia's job entails him researching what hospitals across the country might be in need of a security system. He and Belous conduct demonstration calls with potential clients and show them the Pinpoint security system.

Chang helps perform installations on-site at hospitals and deals with nurses and patients directly.

Chang said he has not been a victim of violence while working on-site, but he has been yelled at by patients before.

"I’ve seen guys get stuff thrown at them; one of our guys here had fecal matter thrown at him one time while he was working in a tent," Chang said.

Chang said he has seen emergency calls go off in real time while working on-site.

"Unfortunately, it happens all the time," he said.

Chang said data from Pinpoint would show that "every single one" of the places the product is installed in has made use of the emergency button on the card.

"We have systems that are installed that are going around the clock, 24/7 getting alerted, because there are constantly situations going on," he said.