Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Labor
March 18, 2022 04:56 PM

Public health official harassment was significant during pandemic, study finds

Mari Devereaux
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    person with mask
    MH Illustration/Getty Images

    Local public health departments experienced nearly 1,500 cases of harassment during the first 11 months of the pandemic, mirroring the reports of verbal and physical attacks on clinicians and other healthcare workers.

    Between March 2020 and January 2021, 57% of the 583 surveyed local health departments reported incidents of harassment targeting leadership or staff, according to a study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

    During this time period, 222 public health officials left their positions across local and state departments, more than a third of whom had experienced some form of harassment.

    The data in the study comes from a Forces of Change survey by the National Association of County and City Health Officials that identified 1,499 harassment cases experienced by local public health departments.

    Since health departments are generally in charge of data, vaccine distribution, testing and infection prevention, including masking policies and protective guidelines, their harassment has caused friction and led to a lack of access to important information, said Beth Resnick, assistant dean for public health practice at the Bloomberg School.

    "It's happening everywhere," Resnick said. "It's not just a red state issue or a blue state issue. And it's not okay. This is not how we should be treating our public health officials."

    Public health departments and health systems need to prioritize worker well-being and safety by implementing policies that reduce undermining, ostracizing and intimidating behaviors toward clinicians and public health leaders, she said.

    Download Modern Healthcare’s app to stay informed when industry news breaks.

    Most of the disclosed assault on public health officials came in an online form, with 296 local health departments reporting social media harassment. Of these, 194 incidents specifically targeted local health department leaders.

    State and local health officials left their positions in 42 states, totaling 48 state health department officials and 174 local health department officials. Nationwide, there are an estimated 2,500 public health departments.

    In order to have a sustainable public health system, these departments need to train leaders to respond to political conflict, improve support networks, invest in long-term public health staffing and establish workplace violence reporting systems and legal protections, according to Resnick.

    On a clinical side, attacks against healthcare workers have evolved and increased during the COVID-19 era.

    Around 31% of hospital nurses said they have faced a small or significant increase in workplace violence since the start of the pandemic, attributing the escalation to decreased staffing levels, patient population changes and fewer visitor restrictions, according to National Nurses United's July 2021 nationwide survey of more than 5,000 registered nurses.

    During the first half of 2020, 611 incidents of violence, harassment, or stigmatization took place in care settings, 67% of which were directed at healthcare workers, the International Committee of the Red Cross found.

    The American Journal of Managed Care said violent attacks in particular lead to physician burnout and negatively affect the delivery, quality and accessibility of healthcare.

    "If you have to walk past screaming protesters to get to work to do your job saving lives, it just wears on you," said Matt Wolf, director and healthcare senior analyst at RSM.

    The harassment comes on top of hundreds of thousands of clinicians leaving the industry due to public health emergency stresses, which has placed an enormous toll on the health labor market and the quality of care provided, Wolf said.

    Some providers have begun offering safety escort services to their workers and trying to forge interactions between clinicians and positive members of the community to help nurses and physicians remember why they entered into healthcare in the first place, he said.

    Related Articles
    How top Chicago physician practices are dealing with COVID-era burnout
    Medical schools battle burnout through wellness education
    HHS awards grants to tackle health worker burnout, well-being
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Crozer-Chester Medical Center
    Crozer Health to cut 4% of employees as it battles financial woes
    union healthcare negotiation
    Burden of enforcing contracts falling on healthcare union members to 'speak up'
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing