Hospital officials explain what led to a 'Code White' at Ben Taub Hospital

Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Ben Taub Hospital called a Code White
Hospital officials explain what led to a 'Code White' at Ben Taub Hospital.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Everything is back to normal at Ben Taub Hospital Wednesday afternoon, just a day after a security threat shut down the hospital.

Dr. Ericka Brown said that every hour, staff are piecing together what prompted Tuesday's "Code White", the hospital alert for an active shooter.

"We did confirm that a staff member felt that there was an immediate threat and acted appropriately in calling a Code White," said Dr. Brown.

That staff member is back at work today.

She said they thought they heard a person say something threatening, but they haven't confirmed a report that anyone heard shots fired.

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Evacuated patients wait outside of Ben Taub Hospital as an active shooter investigation continues.

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Doctors, nurses, and staff executed what they've learned in active shooter training.

They are told to follow law enforcement orders.

Some were asked to evacuate, while others were told to stay in place.

While teams moved patients outside, some doctors were continuing to operate under lockdown.

In the end, first responders cleared the building and found no active shooter and no one injured.

It's the second all-hospital emergency in the past six months.

In October, an inmate was shot at the hospital while under the watch of deputies after he took a medical student hostage.

Dr. Brown says while there was no active shooter Tuesday, and that's a relief, she doesn't want the result to deter anyone from calling a "Code White" in the future.

"We want to encourage and empower all of our staff to be able to call a code when they see a potential threat," said Dr. Brown.