SRDVC's Domestic Violence Employee Toolkit Highlighted by The Spokesman Review
Ed Kelly still tears up recalling a day at work in 2019. One of his most reliable hospital housekeeping employees, Edna “Patty” Hernandez – who always brought an infectious smile – didn’t show up for her shift on April 2.
As Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center’s environmental services manager, Kelly was worried. Hernandez, 47, always arrived early. If she rarely had to miss work, she called in. Before the shift began that day, he noticed that a break room seemed quieter, because, “when Patty was there, the chat was lively, funny … you could hear the smiles,” he said.
When his phone calls to her went unanswered, Sacred Heart staff requested a police welfare check. Kelly later heard the crushing news from a detective: Hernandez was found dead in her apartment – killed by her boyfriend. Joseph Scheel was later sentenced to 20 years for her stabbing death.
“For a few weeks prior, there were some rumblings going around about some issues that Patty was having with her boyfriend,” Kelly said. “We had not heard any specific details of anything bad happening, however. We asked Patty a couple of times if she was OK, and her answer was always ‘Yes,’ with a bright smile.”