Patient injures 2 Provident Hospital staff members in stabbing incident: officials

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Our latest coverage of this story has moved here.

Two staff members were injured in a stabbing incident at a South Side hospital on Monday afternoon, officials said.

Chicago police responded to Provident Hospital in the Bronzeville neighborhood's 500-block of East 51st Street just after 1 p.m. The hospital said the incident happened in its emergency department.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Service Employees International Union Local 73, which represents hundreds of hospital workers in the Cook County Health system, said the victims include a physician and one of its members, who works as a physician assistant.

Officials said a male patient took out a sharp object and stabbed the doctor, a 56-year-old man, in the chest area.

Police said the doctor was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, which is a trauma center, in fair condition.

Officials did not immediately provide details on the a physician assistant's injuries.

Both victims are expected to be OK, and the hospital said its security team acted quickly, but what led up to the stabbing was not immediately clear.

The patient was taken into custody, and area detectives are investigating.

In a statement, Cook County Health said, "Violence against healthcare workers is on the rise, and it is unacceptable. No one should have to fear for their safety while doing their job. This issue transcends physical harm-it impacts the emotional and psychological well-being of our entire team, and ultimately affects the quality of care we are able to provide. While we remain committed to providing the best care possible to our patients, we must also acknowledge that health care environments should be safe spaces for both patients and providers."

SEIU Local 73, which represents some 1,400 Cook County Health system hospital workers, including the injured physician assistant, said, "Workplace safety is of paramount importance to our union and we will continue to work closely with CCH to improve safety for the workers and the patients."

A National Nurses United representative told ABC7 the two injured workers are not nurses, but added that violence is indeed increasing, and they have been fighting for safer conditions.