A coworker’s tragic domestic violence tale inspires new toolkit for employees to recognize signs

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.”

The workplace grief over Hernandez was widespread, Kelly said. Hernandez’s co-workers also shared their concerns about whether they could have helped her. It eventually inspired the creation of a new business toolkit and training program for Spokane-area employers and co-workers to recognize the signs of domestic violence, have effective conversations and be able to refer people to resources.

On Tuesday, the Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition and Providence launched the toolkit as a comprehensive workplace training program for businesses and nonprofits to access online, with in-person training or a combination of those two.

The resources are designed to combat the rising rates of domestic violence in this region, which affects 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 10 men, said Taffy Hunter, the coalition’s education and outreach coordinator.

It offers three lesson programs for all in the workplace, and three training lessons designed for employers, managers and human resource staff. Components include videos, reading materials, practice dialogue and a glossary of terms around domestic violence.

The training also can be used by a company to develop information for an employee handbook, Hunter said.

About 65% of companies don’t have a formal workplace domestic violence prevention policy, and only 20% offer domestic violence training, according to a Society for Human Resource Management study.

An annual Providence Community Benefit grant program funded about $500,000 to the Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition, also known as the local End the Violence Coalition, to develop the toolkit training materials. A number of agencies and experts partnered in developing it. Hamilton Studio produced the toolkit videos.

Susan Stacey, Providence Inland Northwest Chief Executive, said the toolkit can be helpful for any regional business, small or large.

“We spend more time with our work colleagues than we do with our families, so it’s really important if something seems wrong, that we reach out,” Stacey said.

Kelly and his supervisor, Matt Hopkins, had to tell Providence administrators and co-workers about Hernandez’s death.

He and Hopkins praised the support of Providence chaplains and administrators who helped co-workers with their grief, and now Hernandez’s photo is up in about six different places at Sacred Heart in remembrance.

But Kelly urges people to pay attention to co-workers even if there are just rumors, or if “things just don’t feel right.”

“Please don’t be afraid to get involved and ask what is going on and be available,” he said. “It isn’t always easy or comfortable, but it is so important. Most of the time, people will not ask for help. Patty didn’t.”

Hunter said that since the launch of the business toolkit, Spokane Tribal Enterprises and the Vanessa Behan center are early users of the training. A business can get the program online at www.endtheviolencespokane.org, by selecting “toolkit” to get to the training portal, she said.

Employers interested in doing in-person training can email Hunter at outreach@srdvc.org.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers advocates at all hours, available at (800) 799-7233 or (800) 787-3224 for TTY. Another resource is texting LOVEIS to 22522.