Monitoring
Although this situation may not be ongoing actively, the Racist & Bias Incident Response Team is working with appropriate departments to monitor and prevent future reoccurrence. Those who believe they have been the target of bias, intolerance or discrimination may report an incident to the public incident report form (bias and intolerance) or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (sexual misconduct and discrimination).
Please direct any questions or concerns in regard to this bias incident to the RBIRT Manager at RBIresponse@utah.edu.
What happened
On Wednesday, November 29, 2023, a patient at a University of Utah Health medical facility verbally and physically assaulted members of their treatment team. The staff involved took the necessary steps to de-escalate the situation, but were unable to avoid confrontation. This led to the staff calling for an intervention to protect the patient, other patients, and our teams. During the incident, two members of the medical team were targeted multiple times with racial slurs and significant threats of violence. In addition, the patient spat on staff members and made threats of sexual assault and other inappropriate sexual remarks toward female members of the response team.
What is being done
University of Utah Police Department responded and investigated the incident, which was also reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team (RBIRT) because the patient used racial slurs, inappropriate sexual language, and threatened violence. The patient was taken into police custody and charged with assault on a healthcare worker. Individual and team debriefs were facilitated with the affected team members. Should the patient return and cause further disruption, U of U Health Security will be notified and take appropriate action. U of U Health engages with every patient that demonstrates disruptive and disrespectful behavior and creates a safety plan for treatment team members, where appropriate. RBIRT is actively working with U of U Health staff to communicate about the incident
The U is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion
University of Utah Health is working to ensure that the targets of this incident—our valued team members—get the proper care and support they need. Creating an equitable, safe, welcoming and inclusive campus is our top priority, and the university will continue to take action against those who undermine our values.
What to do
If you have experienced or are impacted by biased or hateful behavior on our campus, we want to know so that we can address those acts and provide support. Incidents can be reported to the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team here. If you experience harassment or discrimination, please report to and visit the Office of Equal Opportunity.
Support and resources
U of U Health has many resources available to support the staff affected directly and ensure they are being referred to the appropriate care. Any staff, trainees, or faculty needing mental health support can access free services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or call the 24/7 Utah Crisis Line at Huntsman Mental Health Institute (1-800-273-8255) or the Utah Warm Line 833-SPEAKUT. The SafeUT Frontline Crisis Text app provides Utah healthcare providers 24/7 confidential access at no cost.
Counseling and support services are available from several entities on the University of Utah’s campus: https://safeu.utah.edu/resources/.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Ana Ascencio, RBIRT Manager, at RBIresponse@utah.edu