Hawaii State Hospital officials responded to concerns over assaults and addressed the issue of training after a group of employees who suffered serious injuries from attacks by patients went public with their complaints.

The employees criticized hospital administration for inaction on the problem, prompting them to seek help from the state Senate on lack of staffing and training — issues they say contribute to the problem of assaults. The Senate plans to hold hearings sometime after Thanksgiving to investigate assaults at the facility.

Earlier this week, a registered nurse and three psychiatric technicians shared traumatic experiences of assaults by patients. Josh Akeo, 43, a registered nurse, said he suffered a concussion after he was kicked in the head by a patient.

Akeo said employees had raised concerns about assaults, lack of training and inadequate staffing to hospital administrators multiple times to no avail.

Acting hospital Administrator William Elliott declined to comment Friday when asked whether the employees who sought help from the Senate first raised their concerns with hospital administration.

After a news briefing this week by Sens. Clayton Hee and Josh Green, hospital officials took the media on a tour of the hospital grounds in Kaneohe on Friday and discussed improvements and possible long-term solutions.

The five officials who conducted the tour said staffing is sufficient.

They added that the facility is monitored by security personnel 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each staff member carries a portable alarm, the size of a key chain, to alert security in an emergency. In one office, 15 large flat-screen televisions display images from more than 300 cameras set up in common areas throughout the hospital grounds.

Security is provided by officers from Victory Protection Services, Inc.

Although hospital officials said employees are adequately trained, Elliott said a review of the training program will be conducted to determine if there is room for improvement.

Officials said safety is a priority but that maintaining health care while ensuring safety can be a challenge.

Elliott said protection for staff comes in the form of teamwork.

To address volatile situations, hospital medical director Dr. William Sheehan said staff members are trained to resist the urge to respond alone, and to sound their alarm, pull back, create a strategy and move forward as a team to contain aggressive behavior.

One primary concern, hospital officials said, is overcrowding.

Public-private partnerships are being explored to provide additional beds.

According to a Nov. 14 report from the state, the patient census in the State Hospital system is 237. Of that figure, 197 patients are at the hospital and 40 are at Kahi Mohala Behavioral Health in Ewa Beach. Kahi Mohala is contracted by the state to address patient overflow. The State Hospital is licensed for 202 beds.

A team of health officials named by Gov. Neil Abercrombie, along with state attorneys and lawmakers, have held a series of meetings since 2012 about ongoing problems at the hospital.

The admission rate has also increased over the last several years, increasing in fiscal year 2012 to 301 from 226 admissions in 2008.

The state’s mental health system has been hampered by budget cuts in 2008 that significantly affected services, including in the Adult MentalHealth Division.

While the governor was not among officials on Friday’s media tour, he was asked about problems at the State Hospital at an unrelated press conference. Safety, he said, is always an issue for health professionals caring for patients who suffer from mental illness.

"So we want to have protocols in place and training in place and facilities that are capable of dealing with those circumstances, so of course we’re going to pay close attention to that," he said.

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Star-Advertiser reporter Sarah Zoellick contributed to this report.