Dartmouth-Hitchcock officials say they’re reviewing all safety procedures following the fatal shooting of a 70-year-old patient Tuesday.
Speaking outside the hospital's administrative offices Wednesday afternoon, Chief Clinical Officer Ed Merrens said a swift response from staff and law enforcement allowed for minimal patient disruption. “We had a full day yesterday. We had a busy OR, birthing pavilion, medical units -- everything was going,” he said. “Even in our surgical intensive care unit, we had patients taken care of.”
A complete review of the incident will allow the hospital to determine how many patients were impacted and whether there should be changes to security protocol, he said.
Authorities say Rhode Island resident Travis Frink signed into the visitor center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon Tuesday and went to the intensive care unit, where he shot his 70-year-old mother, Pamela Ferriere.
Frink was charged with homicide in Grafton County Superior court Wednesday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bail.
In the state autopsy completed Wednesday, Deputy Medical Examiner Jennie Duval determined Ferriere was shot four times. She suffered wounds to the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
