Police responded to more than 300 assaults at Bergen Regional Medical Center, New Jersey's largest hospital, in 2015.
The reported cases rose by nearly 40% in the last year, according to NorthJersey.com. Incidents included sexual assault against patients and violence against staff at the hospital in Paramus, N.J. In one case, a nurse was attacked by a patient, resulting in a knee injury that put her out of work for months.
After eight employees were attacked by patients last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the hospital for failing to protect employees.
Donnalee Corrieri, a Bergen spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement that assaults against staff fall below the national average, which is 2.3 assaults per 10,000 patient days, as reported by the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators.
The hospital's workplace violence protection program has also been reviewed by the state and was found in compliance as of March 16, Corrieri said.
Violence against hospital employees increased by 12% from 2011 to 2013, from 22,250 cases to more than 24,000, according to an April report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The most common forms of violence in healthcare settings involved workers getting kicked, hit and beaten, with the highest rates occurring among workers in state hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities.
Bergen, which has 1,070 beds, provides acute care and behavioral health services, particularly for the uninsured.
