After social worker’s killing, hospital vows to improve security

Days after a social worker was fatally stabbed at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, local officials are promising new steps to protect staff.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health announced a host of new measures Tuesday. The city’s health department operates the hospital.

The health department said it is hiring an independent, outside firm to review security at the tragedy. The firm will also conduct an analysis of the health department’s security protocols. The department hasn’t hired the independent firm but said it would be announced at a later date.

The department also said a weapon detection unit will be installed in some buildings, and there will be new restrictions on entrances.

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Alberto Rangel, a social worker at the hospital, was stabbed by a patient Dec. 4, and died two days later. A suspect has been arrested and is in custody.

After the stabbing, union leaders and the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association have called for answers and said the security measures at the hospital aren’t adequate to protect patients and staff.

The city’s health department said it would perform a “full assessment” of security measures at the hospital and the other clinics run by the department. The department said it would examine staffing levels and physical layouts, as well as protocols for visitors and patients who are “high-risk individuals.”

City health officials said they would work with the sheriff’s office to “review and enhance intervention protocols during safety incidents.”

The incident has been reported to the California Department of Public Health and CAL OSHA, and DPH continues to cooperate fully with all regulatory and investigative bodies.

Daniel Tsai, the city’s public health director, vowed to bolster security at the hospital.

“This tragic loss requires decisive and immediate action. Alongside our internal investigation and review, and required reporting to state agencies, the external independent assessment will provide an unbiased and detailed understanding of where improvements are needed and how we can implement them quickly and effectively,” Tsai said in a news release.

The health department also said it would cooperate fully with all investigations of the tragedy.

Dr. Susan Ehrlich, CEO of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, said the hospital would take whatever steps are needed to protect staff, patients and visitors. She also extended “our deepest condolences to the family of our beloved colleague Alberto Rangel.”

“This should never have happened, and we will continue to make immediate and longer-term safety improvements to ensure this never happens again,” Ehrlich said in a statement. “I welcome this independent review and look forward to implementing any recommendations that will make our campus stronger and more secure.”

The health department also pledged to inform the public about new safety measures when they are deployed and recommendations to improve security.

Rangel, the social worker, was stabbed multiple times, authorities said.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association demanded changes in security at the hospital and said the health department’s policies have weakened protections.

The association has said that sheriff’s deputies have been removed from some areas of the hospital campus. The health department formed a Behavioral Emergency Response Team to handle more incidents in place of deputies, but the deputy sheriff’s association said the fatal stabbing shows that model isn’t working.

The association has called for an audit of the hospital’s security, and said unions representing nurses and other frontline staff should be involved with the review. The association is also seeking an expansion of deputy sheriff deployments in high-risk areas.

The suspect, Wilfredo Jose Tortolero Arriechi, 34, has been charged with murder, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors are seeking to have him detained without bail until a trial.

Tortolero Arriechi apparently went to the hospital to see a doctor and took a knife with him, the district attorney’s office said. The suspect “appeared calm and engaged in a conversation with a social worker and was advised to leave,” prosecutors said.

Rangel walked to the elevators with Tortolero Arriechi , but the suspect grabbed him from behind and stabbed him numerous times, according to court documents.

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