Legacy Intends to Strengthen Its Security Rules and Processes Across All of Its Sites

Following Bobby Smallwood’s passing at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Northwest Portland last weekend, Legacy Health declared that it will be stepping up security at all of its facilities.

“Over the past week, our hearts have been heavy with grief and sadness in the wake of the tragic shooting that occurred,” said Legacy President and CEO Kathryn Correia in a statement on Saturday. The 14,000 Legacy employees and the communities we serve are still feeling the emotional effects of this shooting.

According to Correia, senior officials have been working on creating a thorough plan over the past several days to strengthen Legacy’s already effective safety policies and procedures.

All of Legacy’s hospitals will have metal detectors installed, and anyone entering with a bag will have to go through security screening. Metal detectors will be installed in some places as soon as Monday, according to Correia.

“We will install bullet-slow film on the hospital main entrances and emergency departments, as well as on glass in internal entrances,” she stated in the statement.

Leading security personnel have also been given Tasers. All security officers will be able to wield tasers once adequate training and certification have been completed, according to Correia of Legacy.

Gresham Shooting Leaves One Dead

There will still be space for each Legacy hospital location to develop distinctive solutions that are tailored to their specific facilities and communities.

On the morning of July 22, a suspect is accused of opening fire on the fifth floor of the Good Samaritan Medical Center, injuring a hospital employee, and killing a security guard.

Smallwood, a 44-year-old security guard who had been hurt, was sent to a trauma facility where he succumbed to his wounds.

A few hours after the man left the hospital, Gresham police apprehended him. Officers fired their weapons during a standoff, killing the suspect. No policemen were hurt.

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Later, Gresham police confirmed that the suspect was PoniaX Kane Calles, formerly Reginald Kane Jackson. He reportedly made threats to hospital employees days before the shooting, according to The Oregonian. Calles’ companion told KGW that he agreed to give the man a lift to Gresham and didn’t realize until the cops caught up with them that the man was a shooting suspect.

Ashley Heil has three children with Calles, according to court records that KGW was able to obtain: two small daughters, aged one and eight, and a son who was born last week at Good Samaritan. Two days later, when she was still in the hospital, Calles is accused of killing Smallwood with a gun.

According to Correia, “We have started to prepare a second phase of activities, and that effort will continue over the next few months.

The second phase will involve enhancing safety at community-based clinics and Legacy medical office buildings.