Demanding Action in Response to Shooting Incident at Buffalo’s Mercy Hospital

At approximately 8am on March 10, CWA was informed by the employer that a patient shot himself late Sunday night in the Emergency Department of Mercy Hospital of Buffalo. No other patients, staff, or visitors were harmed. CWA District 1 and CWA Local 1133 are pressing for answers and for solutions to make our healthcare facilities safer for our members and the patients they care for.

“This incident highlights the growing crisis of violence in healthcare facilities—an issue that frontline healthcare workers have been raising for years,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “This shooting is the latest and most extreme example of how severe the problem has become.”

"We never want to see anybody harmed, especially when you go to work as a healthcare professional,” said CWA Local 1133 President Brian Magner. “You don't expect to have to go into work fearing danger. There's certain things you will have to worry about, but being threatened or assaulted by patients or visitors is not one of those things."