PLAINS TWP. - Citing concern for patient and staff safety, officials at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center have installed bulletproof glass around the emergency department's reception desk.
The hospital was the site of a run-in in July between two alleged killers - men charged in a Plymouth triple homicide - and the mother of a victim who was hospitalized on life support. But hospital officials on Monday said the move to improve patient and staff safety was not motivated by any one incident.
"This was done simply as a proactive measure to make sure our employees and patients feel as safe as possible when they're at the ED," Geisinger Health System spokesman Matthew Van Stone said.
The bulletproof glass, which was installed last week, encloses the reception desk that patients and visitors encounter upon entering the emergency department's lobby - an area that used to be an open desk, Mr. Van Stone said.
James P. McGuire, a spokesman for Commonwealth Health, said Wilkes-Barre General Hospital does not have bulletproof glass at its facility but that it does make staff and patient safety a high priority.
Mr. McGuire said in a prepared statement: "While we cannot comment on specific security measures we have in place, our new Emergency Department includes multiple complimentary security features to help ensure the safety of our staff, patients and visitors."
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