A lawyer representing an emergency room nurse who a patient attacked held a news conference to announce the filing of a whistleblower notice on behalf of his client. Michael Pizzi said Wednesday that his client, Yanira Eguileor, has been subjected to retaliation from Jackson Memorial Hospital sin ce she spoke out about the horrific attack she endured back in May. “They transferred her out of the trauma unit, they’ve ostracized her, they’ve called her to [human resources] a half dozen times, and they even deleted her from the computer system,” he said. Eguileor was the victim of a brutal beating by Wenyou Rubin after he put his sights on her when she defended her work colleague who had been hit. Speaking to 7News earlier this year, she recounted the incident. “It was a total of three bashes to the head, and he threw me to the floor. I covered my face with my hands,” said Eguileor. 7News obtained two separate camera angles of the attack showing Eguileor and her colleagues under attack by the raging patient at Jackson. Eguileor said her colleagues rushed to her aid upon seeing her being attacked and were able to restrain the angry patient on the ground. During the interview, she revealed she decided to file a lawsuit against her employer, Jackson Memorial Hospital. Since then, however, Pizzi said it’s been nonstop corporate moves against his client, prompting him to file this new claim against the hospital. He also spoke about the video, saying it could’ve ended much worse for his client, and cited a lack of workplace security. “Police never showed up, and security showed up after it was over and the damage was done,” said Pizzi. The attorney said the only reason surveillance video is being seen is that he filed a second lawsuit to obtain the footage. In response to the claims of security, the hospital said: “Within seconds, the first Jackson Public Safety Officer arrived at the scene, with additional public safety officers responding soon after. The employees involved were immediately offered support and care following the incident. Jackson takes the safety of our employees, patients, and visitors extremely seriously. Jackson Memorial Hospital maintains a significant security presence throughout the campus, including in and around the emergency room. Uniformed Jackson Public Safety Officers are assigned to the facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are supported by off-duty Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies who are present on campus around the clock. In addition, all emergency room staff are required to complete workplace violence prevention and personal safety training. The training prepares employees to recognize and respond to threatening or aggressive behavior through de-escalation techniques and strategies to avoid, escape, and protect themselves when necessary. Jackson has a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program that combines employee training, security resources, law enforcement support, and established response protocols to protect our workforce and the people who come to us for care. However, understanding that violence against healthcare workers is a serious and growing concern across the nation, we remain committed to continuously evaluating and strengthening those safeguards in order to maintain a secure environment for our patients, visitors, and employees throughout Jackson Health System.” On Wednesday, Jackson responded to Pizzi’s whistleblower filing. In that statement, the hospital said that after the May incident: “Jackson later discovered the unauthorized access and acquisition of our patient’s protected health information by Ms. Eguileor — an intentional breach for personal gain. She also is found to have violated other Jackson policies and that Ms. Eguileor is being afforded all applicable due process protections and is represented by the labor union as the matter proceeds.” As for Rubin, his criminal case related to the incident remains open and pending. He is sitting behind bars on assault charges and other crimes associated with the incident at the hospital. ...read more read less