Joel Lashley has worked in public safety for over thirty years and, since 1991, has focused on healthcare security. Within healthcare, he has extensive firsthand experience in keeping the peace in hospitals, clinics and residential treatment facilities. Joel is the author of many articles on topics ranging from providing care for people with brain-based disorders and psychiatric challenges, to managing patient prisoners in private healthcare facilities. He is in demand nationwide for his expertise in creating environments of care and clinical relationships that are incompatible with violence, resulting in better and safer working conditions for caregivers and higher customer satisfaction levels for patients. As an award-winning educator and trainer, he has taught his principles for addressing healthcare violence (e.g., seven myths of healthcare violence, Crisis Interventions) to physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, healthcare security staff, social workers, law enforcement officers, corrections officers, residential care workers, and educators. Joel also provides training and consulting to healthcare professional organizations, hospitals and healthcare systems, crisis intervention training companies and law enforcement agencies, all of whom are concerned with the epidemic levels of violence in healthcare.
Many years ago, when I was working as a hospital security officer, I was sent to a patient unit regarding a “combative patient.” Oddly enough, healthcare workers rarely regard themselves as being in “combat” when a patient is grabbing, hitting, or kicking them; but, when they describe someone who is acting out at the moment, they often choose the adjective “combative” to describe the behavior...
Enjoy this excerpt from one of our published books.
I was passing through the Emergency Department when an angry-looking man walked in through the front door. He was a hard figure to miss. He wore a denim jacket with the sleeves torn off and emblazoned on his makeshift vest were the colors of a well-known and notoriously violent motorcycle gang. His bare arms were heavily inked with...
There is no denying it; hospitals can be difficult places to work. No matter which profession you’re in, from hospital security to nursing, the hours are long, and weekends and holidays are just another day at work. Moreover, with nursing shortages, an aging demographic, dwindling psychiatric care resources, and other factors creating increasing demands on healthcare providers from all sides, the...
When we think of basic human needs, hierarchies often come to mind. What is it that people need and how are those needs related to human behavior? That’s the question that human services professionals often ask, and the one de-escalation trainers need to answer. Years ago, I learned through several personal and professional experiences that people act-out for reasons, not because of diagnoses. It...
The emphasis on violence prevention in the workplace, especially in the healthcare sector, continues to grow within the regulatory and certification communities. On November 15, 2017, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacted sweeping rules intended to “ensure adequate planning for both natural and man-made disasters.” The details of this specifically included active shooter...
