CHI St. Joseph Hospital in Brazos Valley is taking steps to identify and protect patients victimized by human trafficking. 

“A lot of times, screening for the victim and knowing exactly what to look for is the most difficult piece of it, just because the people who are involved in human trafficking rings are highly skilled at what they do and they’re very good at trying to hide it,” said director of nursing and support Brandy Lapaglia in an interview with KAGS. 

This is especially important at CHI St. Joseph because the Brazos Valley location is a prime area for trafficking to occur. 

“Being between large cities, kind of that triangle in Texas, it really makes our area high risk for human trafficking,” Lapaglia said. “Because of the traffic and the proximity to the larger cities, also because we’re a border state there’s just a lot of opportunity for that here.”

Chi St. Joseph staff learn to look for signs of trafficking when patients come to the hospital and will pay extra attention to patients in the labor and delivery and emergency department. 

“The most difficult aspect is actually deciphering who is a victim and who isn’t,” said system medical director for emergency Paul Goen in an interview with KAGS. “Because a lot of times the people who are with them are good at covering what’s going on and things we look for are someone who’s overbearing, does the talking for them, is overly concerned about their condition. So that’s when our flags go up.”

According to the Texas Attorney General’s website, there are over 200,000 victims of labor trafficking in Texas. 

Besides recognizing red flags, CHI St. Joseph trains staff on how to approach a patient who may be a potential victim. 

“I think this is a national problem. I think the nurses and physicians both get a lot of education from our nation,” Goen said.