Whether You’re in Trouble or Not, When the FBI Shows Up You’d Better Have a Plan

Residents of a sleepy Pittsburgh suburb were likely shocked last week to find the parking lot of a local business taken over by FBI vehicles—even more so when they discovered that the building, occupied by an urgent care center that had by all accounts been an indispensable community asset throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, was essentially taken over by agents. The doors were locked to keep patients out, and opened only long enough for agents to load boxes and computers into vehicles. Local media are still in the dark as to why the feds showed up, and no one from the urgent care center has been available to provide any answers. While it would be a mistake to presume anyone’s guilt, the fact that any law enforcement agency shows up with a search warrant indicates that something serious is afoot. Workers were likely at least as surprised as passersby and had the initial responsibility to react professionally. Sure, it’s unlikely that the FBI (or DEA, ATF, DHS…) will show up spontaneously and demand access to your records. But urgent care centers are not immune to becoming the scene of a crime, or a possible location for a fugitive to escape pursuit. Would your team be prepared for such an eventuality? Read Law Enforcement and Healthcare: When Consent, Privacy, and Safety Collide in our archive before you answer that question—and impart the guidance from the article when you’re done.