ATASCADERO, Calif. -- In just the past two weeks, Atascadero State Hospital has seen three attacks.
Three people were injured in aggressive attacks with patients.
On September 25th, a nursing employee was involved in an aggressive attack with a patient and reported lower back pain.
A week later, a patient was injured during an altercation with another patient.
And on Wednesday, a clinician was also injured in a separate attack.
But Atascadero State Hospital representatives say employees are well prepared to handle these situations.
"Just as a firefighter who enters a smoke filled room, our staff may find it necessary to intervene with a patient when he exhibits dangerous behavior," says Atascadero State Hospital Public Information Officer Craig Dacus.
Hospital staff are equipped with specialized training, personal duress alarms as well as pagers.
Hospital patients come from the state and county jails.
The hospital says most patients suffer from mental illnesses and are dangerous to themselves and others.
