Friends, co-workers raise more than $40K for UPMC nurse attacked by patient

Travis Dunn, the UPMC nurse who was beaten unconscious by a patient, has been released from the hospital. “I am pleased to share that Travis Dunn, our patient care technician injured in the horrific attack on Saturday, has been released from the hospital and will be continuing his recovery at home with continued support from us,” UPMC Altoona President Mike Corso said in a statement. Officials say Dunn will receive full pay and benefits and will not need to use any PTO. “Worker’s compensation is immediately in place, there is a priority process in place for any insurance claims, and the employee will see no out-of-pocket expenses,” Dunn said. While Dunn was recovering at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, his friends have collected a substantial amount of money for his medical expenses.Dunn was beaten until rendered unconscious by an emergency room patient at UPMC Altoona Saturday, suffering a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, and other injuries.Friends started a GoFundMe page, raising more than $40,000 for medical expenses and coming close to the goal of $60,000.Meanwhile, Dunn’s coworkers tell Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Sheldon Ingram that they’ve urged UPMC Altoona to address the escalating workplace violence against healthcare workers for a while. “It was a horrific incident, our hearts are heavy, and we’re also angry,” Jaime Balsamo, a UPMC Altoona nurse said. “We’ve been telling UPMC for years that we need more safety measures implemented, and we kept saying something bad is going to happen, and it did. “Another nurse, Leann Opell, said workplace violence has turned into an ongoing crisis at the hospital. “Our staff gets assaulted either verbally or physically daily. This is the worst incident,” Opell said. State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, District 114, is a co-sponsor of the Pennsylvania Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention Act, which passed in the House in May.However, the bill has not advanced in the state Senate. “We’ve heard too many times of incidents inside our commonwealth that have led to catastrophic incidents, like the gentleman who walked into the intensive care unit in western Pennsylvania with a gun, and used it on our healthcare workers.”Meanwhile, employees at UPMC Altoona are pressing administrators to take forceful steps to prevent another attack. Recommendations include: A full and transparent investigation into the incident, including how and why current safety protocols failed, and what measures could have prevented it A clear, enforced zero-tolerance policy for violence or threats against healthcare workers — by patients, visitors or staff Posted signs in every area of the hospital that assaulting a healthcare worker is a felony Panic alarms installed in every patient care area Metal detectors installed at all patient and visitor entry points Enhanced security presence and faster response times, particularly in high-risk areas such as the ER, and during off-peak hours Mandatory de-escalation and workplace safety training for all staff, with regular refreshers Comprehensive support for affected employees, including paid leave, trauma counseling, and legal or workers’ compensation assistance as needed Direct involvement of frontline employees and union representatives in developing and implementing safety improvementsUPMC Altoona released a statement Tuesday regarding the attack on Dunn. We are committed to maintaining a safe environment in which to give and receive care. When any member of our UPMC family is injured, our first priority is their health, recovery, and well-being. We stand with them and their colleagues, and we remain unwavering in our commitment to providing a safe, secure environment for everyone who works, receives care, or visits our facilities. The recent incident at UPMC Altoona was a tragic, violent act by a patient in crisis. We have a comprehensive, continuous program to evaluate, identify and prevent conditions that may place people in harm’s way. This includes engaging top national security experts to assess and advise on enhancements, holding meetings with employees and physicians to hear their concerns and ideas, and implementing hundreds of improvements — including advanced education and de-escalation training, active drills, panic buttons, secure rooms, reduced access points, and enhanced facility entrance technologies. We are providing assistance to UPMC Altoona employees and support for our colleague who was injured in the line of work. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work.THURSDAY 11/6/2025 UPDATE:On Wednesday night, UPMC shared with WTAE an internal email from UPMC Altoona President Mike Corso:November 5, 2025 Leadership Update:UPMC Altoona Team,We are committed to maintaining a safe environment in which to give and receive care. When any member of our UPMC family is injured, our first priority is their health, recovery, and well-being. We stand with them and their colleagues, and we remain unwavering in our commitment to providing a safe, secure environment for everyone who works, receives care, or visits our facilities.I am pleased to share that Travis Dunn, our patient care technician injured in the horrific attack on Saturday, has been released from the hospital and will be continuing his recovery at home with continued support from us. I know that many of you have seen media stories or social media posts about this tragedy, and as often happens, there are some inaccuracies and misinformation, and I want to provide some clarity. During our co-worker’s recovery, he will be receiving full pay and benefits and will not need to use any PTO. Worker’s compensation is immediately in place, there is a priority process in place for any insurance claims, and the employee will see no out-of-pocket expenses.The recent incident at UPMC Altoona was a tragic, violent act by a patient. We are incredibly grateful for the swift, courageous response of our UPMC Police and Emergency Department teams, whose actions prevented further harm and ensured our colleague received immediate care. We are grateful for their quick action and bravery. From the first physical contact with our staff member until our UPMC Police arrived, it was 47 seconds. The assailant was surrounded by police officers and taken into custody without further incident. Once he was medically cleared, he was arrested and transferred to the Blair County prison without bail.We have a comprehensive, continuous program to evaluate, identify and prevent conditions that may place people in harm’s way. This includes engaging top national security experts to assess and advise on enhancements, holding meetings with employees and physicians to hear their concerns and ideas, and implementing hundreds of improvements — including advanced education and de-escalation training, active drills, panic buttons, secure rooms, reduced access points, and enhanced facility entrance technologies.This was a senseless act of violence carried out by a patient and in no way reflects our unwavering commitment to safety for our employees and patients. We know that our team is deeply impacted by this attack. Our leadership team, CISM-ASAP, LifeSolutions, and our Spiritual Care team continue to be available for anyone who needs them. …Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.