“It doesn’t happen that often but when it does it can be pretty scary,” said Joyce Menefee, one of the nurses who took part. “It’s never happened to me and I’ve been at this for 26 years.”
Tim Castle of Plymouth Family Taekwondo and some of his top students paid a visit to the hospital to give a little instruction to the nurses. Castle’s instruction centered on methods to escape from dangerous situations – choke holds, grabbing, and hitting – and then gain control of the offender in order to subdue the situation.
“I’ve had patients swing,” said Londa Dunlap. “Confused patients who don’t know what they’re doing will swing at you. I just want to protect myself or anyone in the room or general area from getting hit.”
Tamara Awald, Saint Joseph’s Vice President of patient care, felt the instruction was beneficial in many ways.
“I think it benefits us on a personal and professional level,” she said. “Everybody confronts situations in their life that are untoward. In the work environment in this day and age we do sometimes have security threats with people coming into the hospital with weapons and other situations that I think all around we need to be prepared for.”
By the end of the session, Castle had some of those involved actually breaking boards in classic martial arts style.
“It was great information; I think it will be well used,” he said.