The suicide of a male nurse at a Northern California hospital has inspired an outpouring of empathy on Twitter from a co-worker, nurses, and others over the weekend.
The Santa Clara Police Department "thoroughly investigated" a report April 27 at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center that a male nurse in the emergency room died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and ruled it a suicide, according to Wahid Kazem, assistant chief of police.
"This tragic event occurred in a closed room that is not used for patient care, adjacent to the emergency department. No other staff or patients were threatened," according to Rakesh Chaudhary, MD, physician-in-chief of the medical center.
He added that the ER remained open for walk-in patients during the investigation, but ambulances were temporarily diverted to nearby hospitals. "The Santa Clara Police Department and our staff immediately took precautions to isolate the affected area and avoid impact to patient care."
In terms of the effect on those closer to the victim, Chaudhary said, "Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and coworkers affected by this terrible loss. Our teams are on site providing emotional support and resources for staff."
Neither the police nor the hospital released the victim's name.
