Hospital workplace violence is a public health emergency. Why is no one listening? | Viewpoint

As many of us scroll through our favorite news app, we are greeted by reports of workplace violence, from verbal and physical confrontations to fatal shootings.

Healthcare workers are facing violence with alarming regularity, and they need more help, writes Damond W. Boatwright, president and CEO of Hospital Sisters Health System.

What is often missing from the headlines are stories of the increasingly high frequency of workplace assaults suffered by health care professionals across the country.

The data is alarming and demands greater public attention. The American Hospital Association reports that healthcare facilities face more incidents of violence and injury than any other work environment. Since the pandemic, it’s gotten worse: 44% of nurses report an increase in physical violence and 68% report an increase in verbal abuse.

Figures from the American College of Emergency Physicians are particularly shocking. Hospital emergency departments, by nature, are high-pressure settings, can be crowded, and are often chaotic.

A distressing 80% of emergency room doctors say violence has impacted patient care and safety where they work. Half of emergency physicians note they have witnessed harm to patients in the emergency department, and 47% report they themselves have been assaulted at work.

At Hospital Sisters Health System, we are experiencing this new epidemic firsthand, as violent and abusive behavior increases across our network of 13 Catholic, non-profit hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin. Contrary to popular opinion, this isn’t just an urban problem – it happens in our rural community hospitals, too.

We refer to HSHS’ committed and caring staff as “colleagues,” from the executive leadership team to the welcoming professional sitting at the front desk. The term “colleague” indicates the respect and camaraderie we offer each other and our patients as part of our mission to provide faith-based, loving, safe and high-quality care to those we serve.

As CEO, I do not want “colleague” to be replaced by “survivor” because of acts – swearing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting and so on – encountered by the caring professionals within our facilities. Our values call us to make safety a priority for our 11,000 colleagues and the patients and visitors they serve.

The reason for these outbursts has no simple origin, but the fear, confusion and isolation remaining from the pandemic have not helped. We see the impact everywhere: in our youth, who are struggling to overcome learning and social gaps; in our elderly, who lost so many of their peers to COVID-19; and in society overall, where loneliness is accelerating into its own epidemic.

We are living in an era in which mental health resources are more critical than ever, yet they are plagued by the perennial problem of inadequate funding due primarily to the stigma attached to mental health needs.

Every one of our colleagues — and all clinical care team members across the United States — deserves to work in a secure and safe environment. HSHS and other leading healthcare systems are doing our part to counter this public health emergency by implementing new safety programs and procedures. We ask our elected officials to join us in these efforts to safeguard their constituents.

Illinois lawmakers took a good first step in proposing bipartisan legislation that gives healthcare workers the same protections as employees who suffer violence in other care-oriented workplaces – such as nursing homes, daycares and schools.

Similarly, the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act (SAVE Act) introduced in Congress would make assaulting a hospital employee a federal crime punishable by a fine, jail time or both. This protection is already provided to airline and airport workers.

Both measures provide the key provision of shielding offenders struggling with mental illness. We look forward to these or similar initiatives moving forward.

In health care, we take a pledge to first do no harm. Why shouldn’t we expect the same from our patients, communities and elected officials?

A clarion call for protection of our healthcare heroes is long overdue. Our state and federal lawmakers must now heed our plea.

Damond W. Boatwright is president and CEO of the Hospital Sisters Health System.