- The victim, Leelamma Lal, suffered severe facial fractures and may lose her eyesight due to the attack by a patient at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital.
- The accused attacker, Stephen Scantlebury, faces charges of attempted murder and a hate crime enhancement for his alleged remarks during the assault.
- A GoFundMe campaign for Lal’s recovery has garnered significant support, reflecting public solidarity with healthcare workers advocating for safer working conditions.
WEST PALM BEACH — Hundreds of healthcare workers clad in scrubs rallied for better on-the-job protection and security this weekend following an attack on a nurse at a Loxahatchee hospital last week.
Health professionals gathered Sunday afternoon near the scene of the crime at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital in support of better security for health workers and the injured nurse, identified Monday as Leelamma Lal, who may go blind from the attack. The gathering then traveled to the Jerome Golden Center in West Palm Beach for a rally.
“I’ve been horrified … terribly,” said Maureen Morgan, 63, of Wellington, a former colleague of the injured nurse. “I can’t stop crying.”
Lal, 67, is hospitalized in critical condition following the Feb. 18 attack by a patient who had been hospitalized at HCA Florida Palms West for mental health reasons. “Essentially every bone in her face” was fractured in the attack, according to investigators.
The patient accused in the beating, Stephen Scantlebury, 33, of Wellington, is facing a charge of attempted second-degree murder in the beating, after which he fled the hospital clad only in shorts and ran along Southern Boulevard with deputies and nurses chasing after him prior to his arrest.
A hate crime was subsequently added to the list of charges he faces. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Scantlebury “made utterances” about the victim’s gender, race or religion but did not specify which one. A hearing for Scantlebury was scheduled for Monday, Feb. 24.
He is currently hospitalized, according to court records.
More:PBSO adds hate crime charge in patient’s beating of Palms West nurse that may leave her blind
Lal’s plight has prompted more than 1,700 people to contribute nearly $74,000 to a GoFundMe account started for her as of Sunday evening.
What happened was all too familiar for three generations of women who were among the scrubs-clad throngs gathered at what was once the 45th Street Mental Health Center. Meghan Marks, 28, who works as a nurse, was part of organizing the event and also brought her aunt, a nurse practitioner, her mother, also a nurse, and her grandmother, who is retired from nursing.
All of them have experienced how dangerous trying to heal patients can become: being choked, bitten and pushed. A big problem, they agreed, is that the sitters charged with monitoring people experiencing mental health issues are often retirees, unable to fully restrain a patient in the throes of a mental break.
“It’s happening so close to home,” Marks said. “We’re making a statement for our nursing community that there needs to be safer policies in place for all in the health care professions.”
Palm Beach Post writer Valentina Palm contributed to this story.
Anne Geggis is the insurance reporter at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at ageggis@gannett.com.Help support our journalism. Subscribe today
