Reid Health operations return to normal after overnight threat

April 24, 2025 -- Reid Health's main campus in Richmond is safe and operations have returned to normal today after a nearly four-hour lockdown at the hospital in response to an overnight active shooter threat.

At about 1:40 a.m., the Reid Health switchboard received a call from someone threatening the campus' safety.

The threat was relayed to law enforcement and members of the Reid Health Police Department, Richmond Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Randolph County Sheriff's Department, and the Indiana State Police responded immediately and established a perimeter around the hospital.

After about 90 minutes, the threat was determined to not be on campus, allowing operations to resume while a lockdown remained in place.

At about 5:27 a.m., hospital activity returned to normal. At no point were patients diverted to another health facility. Those arriving during this time were provided with a law enforcement escort to ensure their safety.

"We're incredibly grateful for the help of all our law enforcement partners and thankful the threat turned out to be unsubstantiated," said Ben Wells, Acting President/CEO at Reid Health.

"Our team did an amazing job maintaining campus safety. They followed our protocols and leaned into their training for these situations. Patient safety -- a primary priority in times like this -- was maintained throughout."

All appointments at Reid Health Hospital and the health system's other facilities for today remain as scheduled.

"We're incredibly grateful for the help of all our law enforcement partners and thankful the threat turned out to be unsubstantiated. Our team did an amazing job maintaining campus safety. They followed our protocols and leaned into their training for these situations. Patient safety -- a primary priority in times like this -- was maintained throughout." -- Ben Wells, Acting President/CEO at Reid Health.

Threats like this and other workplace violence incidents have become a growing issue for hospitals and health systems throughout the country. As a proactive response to these types of threats, Reid Health transitioned from a security force to a fully operational police department in 2019. The Reid Health Police Department has about 25 licensed and trained police officers on staff.

To further underscore the pressures placed on workplace safety in hospitals, the Indiana Hospital Association launched the "Safe and Sound" campaign, which aims to prevent workplace violence in healthcare settings. State lawmakers also have recognized the increasing number of incidents and are considering legislation that would address crimes against healthcare providers.

"Times like this place extreme stress, pressure, and fear on our team," Wells said. "I'm very proud of the way the Reid team handled this and kept patient safety at the forefront throughout the situation."