Photo: CBS 12
Palms West Hospital has a plan to beef up security after a patient brutally attacked a nurse.
The hospital in Loxahatchee has added a dedicated workspace for deputies in the ER, but Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw says there's no guarantee that a deputy will always be there. He calls it a space that just available if his deputies stop by.
The sheriff says his agency is in talks with Palms West to add contracted deputies to the facility.
Suspect Stephen Scantlebury was admitted to the hospital last month for physical complaints and became a psychiatric patient while receiving care. He was identified as a Baker Act case but Palms West is not a designated Baker Act facility.
He's accused of beating the nurse so badly that he broke every bone in her face and she lost total vision in both eyes. She is now regaining sight in her left eye, but we're told her right eye is not looking as promising and there are signs of neurological issues.
Scantlebury faces several charges.