(Radio Iowa) – A federal study finds instances of violence in healthcare settings are five times more likely than in other industries, and a clinic in northeast Iowa that was built in 1950 is planning to put up security cameras for the first time. Tom Eachus, executive director of the Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Clinic in Waterloo, says the plan to implement cameras is more preventative, designed to help everyone feel safe.

Eachus says, “We wanted to make sure that patients who come here for services, and staff who provide those services, family members who come with patients, are in an environment they feel safe and secure in.” Eachus says violence in the clinic hasn’t been a problem in his 35 years on the job. He adds, the cameras will be in place for long-term patient safety.

“So many of our patients have been with us 10, 20, 30, 40 years, and I think they feel comfortable here,” Eachus says, “but helping them feel safer in the event of a bad situation I think is just going to be more reassuring to them that it’s very welcoming.” Eachus says he’s only seen one or two instances of violence during his long tenure.

The clinic has spent the last several years partnering with local and county law enforcement to reevaluate what a safe mental health space looks like. The clinic serves about six-thousand patients in the region.