Have You Ever Refused to Go Into a Terrible Neighborhood?

Published

Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

Our hospice recently admitted a woman with a lot of health issues who may need on-call visits in the future. I have nothing whatsoever against helping this poor woman, but she is living in a very dangerous neighborhood in a large, urban area that our hospice doesn't normally service. So my question is, have you ever refused to make a visit if the area where you are supposed to go is dangerous and crime-filled? I do on-call during the off hours, and of course with winter coming the days are getting shorter and shorter and there will be more darkness as the months pass. I have already told my husband that if I am asked to make a visit to this patient I will have to refuse, on the grounds that I am not going to risk my life or getting my car stolen for a job, my husband and kids need me too much for that. My boss always says, "If it feels wrong or dangerous in any way, don't go," so do you think that will get me off the hook if I get called to this patient's address for a visit? What if it's a death visit and someone has to go? We have been told that we can call the police for an escort if we don't feel safe, but this is a huge city and the police dept. is already overworked and understaffed, so who's to say if they would even come, and even if they did, what would I do, have them meet me outside the city limits and follow me or let me ride with them? I am so stressed over this. Help!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Just say no.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Home Health.

No is a complete sentence...............................Nothing is worth risking your life.

I'd take a write up if they wanna get fussy.....

We had a patient in inner city Atlanta. He was a dear, but his house was right next to a crack house. I would always visit early early in the morning.....(when i would do weekend visits), but if i went after 12 noon-the crackheads would yell "hey nurse---i need some meds....." We ended up discharging the patient because he insisted on having a loaded rifle next to his bed-that was our out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

Wow, that sounds scary!

I have decided that if I do get the call, I won't go. I'll just tell them that my life is more valuable to me than my job. There actually was a visiting nurse killed in the city I'm talking about earlier this year. She was in a patient's house in a bad neighborhood when three guys came in and shot and killed her and the patient then stole her car with her purse in it. I do not want to follow in her footsteps.

Thanks for the advice.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I refused to remain on the case where I was physically assaulted. My employer blamed me for "leaving the poor patient in a bind", and then no longer provided me with any work and followed up with blacklisting me with future prospective employers. When I describe the situation to employers and others, they look at me in disbelief. The worst the employer can do to you is to constructively discharge you and blacklist you like what happened to me. But you will be safe and alive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

That's awful. Your boss should be your advocate in all situations. No wonder it's hard to find and retain good field nurses!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D, Hospice.

wheeew! i thought some people are just more careful than others... i go into crime neighborhoods at times; usually they are drug areas, shootings occur frequently.... i never thought twice when i went - though was told by our boss that we do not have to go when it is not safe, esp. at night; when i rethink my visits i scare myself, though at the time it was just "what you do" and nothing ever happened.... yes I pray a lot at that time :)

but from what i read here, i was really semi safe!!!

not sure if i would not flat out refuse to go there

why do we take patients in those areas to start with??? yes they deserve care but then we need to have safe guards in place (police, fire men, county sheriff who ever can be enough security for us to do our job and be safe!

we need health care reform but in totally different areas than our politicians think!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.
wheeew! i thought some people are just more careful than others... i go into crime neighborhoods at times; usually they are drug areas, shootings occur frequently.... i never thought twice when i went - though was told by our boss that we do not have to go when it is not safe, esp. at night; when i rethink my visits i scare myself, though at the time it was just "what you do" and nothing ever happened.... yes I pray a lot at that time :)

but from what i read here, i was really semi safe!!!

not sure if i would not flat out refuse to go there

why do we take patients in those areas to start with??? yes they deserve care but then we need to have safe guards in place (police, fire men, county sheriff who ever can be enough security for us to do our job and be safe!

we need health care reform but in totally different areas than our politicians think!!!

I know what you mean, I went out to an area that I was unfamiliar with last weekend and when I got there it was extremely rough and pretty scary. It didn't occur to me to refuse the visit, and since I was already there I just prayed fervently and tried to walk under the streetlights as much as possible and nothing happened...but it could have, and when I think back on it I say a prayer of thanks and I think that I wouldn't do it again if I was asked to, at least not without some kind of escort.

Our company rarely has clients in bad areas, we cover mostly other, outlying areas that are for the most part very safe. But once in a blue moon we get one in a bad neighborhood and then I stress about it, lol. What's frustrating too is that this patient's son, who happens to be her DPOA and until recently her caregiver, lives in a safe, suburban area but for some reason she is staying with another relative in the 'hood. Go figure...:uhoh3:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home health.

I went to a rough neighborhood late at night only because I had a security officer assigned to go with me. I would not have gone otherwise.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

You had a security officer assigned to you? Is that something your employer does for you? That would be awesome! We don't have anything like that, we either have to call for a police escort and hope that they can come or call one of the other on-call staff such as a MSW or the triage nurse to see if they will go with us.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have said no before. My safety is most important.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

Here's an update:

Someone provided me with an online crime statistics map for this particular city. This is almost unbelievable to me, but in a span of two days, the neighborhood where this patient lives has had:

3 armed robberies

1 felonious assault

1 larceny

1 arson

2 home invasions

Most of those happened during the day. :chair:

No WAY will I go there! I will be looking for a new job first. I feel badly for the patient, but I am not going to risk my life for someone I don't even know. If that makes me selfish, then I'm selfish.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment