Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE NEW IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Digital Health
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
  • 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
    • 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
    • - Supply Chain
    • - 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
May 05, 2021 04:33 PM

Healthcare workers say workplace safety plans needed

Ginger Christ
Matti Gellman
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Getty Images

    Healthcare workers are charged with protecting the health of the public but they increasingly need protection, too.

    Colleen McDonald, CEO of University of Minnesota's Community Healthcare Center, said that more protests and unrest will pose challenges to the safety of healthcare providers and care delivery.

    "The ongoing trauma is really high right now," said McDonald, who found herself boarding up the center's windows ahead of the verdict in Officer Derek Chauvin's trial being announced, a routine she started during the May 2020 protests of George Floyd's death at the hands of Chauvin.

    The majority of McDonald's staff are Black, Indigenous or people of color. Many have witnessed increasing racial violence since the pandemic. Others have reported more aggressive interactions with patients as a result of a rise in methamphetamine abuse during the pandemic. McDonald said she hired the clinic's first full-time security guard after an Asian co-worker experienced verbal abuse and physical assault.

    Hospitals and other healthcare organizations say they have robust workplace safety programs in place to protect employees. But unions and those advocating for worker safety say the industry needs to do more to reduce potential injury. They allege workers are at greater risk because the pandemic has brought tensions between caregivers and the communities they treat to a boiling point. Federal lawmakers are interested in tackling the issue.

    A February National Nurses United survey found that 22% of the 9,200 registered nurses who responded had seen an increase in workplace violence since the pandemic began.

    "Healthcare worker violence and safety were certainly things that were happening well before there was unrest and a pandemic. It's not a new problem, but certainly has been aggravated," said Carolyn Porta, associate vice president of clinical affairs at the University of Minnesota.

    Porta said improving workers safety is not just a matter of resources, but of institutional commitment. "The boxes will get checked but the spirit of what's happening in these environments needs to shift in a meaningful way where workers feel valued, safe and supported."

    Even in 2019, as many as one-third of all intentional injuries in the workplace were sustained by healthcare workers in positions associated with hospitals, according to a Modern Healthcare analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

    "It's really an astounding number when you look at it. Unfortunately, it's the caregivers that bear the brunt of that," said Gordon Snow, chief security officer for the Cleveland Clinic. "There are so many different issues that you're trying to protect against or address, everything from verbal assault to an active shooter."

    Protecting caregivers

    Hospital systems say protecting workers is a balance of preventing violence, de-escalating tense situations and communicating clearly with patients on safety standards and care.

    The Cleveland Clinic has an enterprise workplace violence steering committee that develops safety standards for the system. The committee includes members from various disciplines, including victim advocates, and looks at how the system can meet OSHA standards and address other safety issues, Snow said.

    Healthcare workers and safety personnel train in violence prevention and de-escalation but that still won't address some events.

    The Cleveland Clinic has 170 police officers on staff and 350 contracted security officers, as well as hospital safety officers, who wear a different type of uniform, in its behavioral health units. All officers go through a hospital safety training school.

    "We're always looking for what we call a Code Violet situation," Snow said.

    Those are violent situations. Sometimes there's a distraught patient or family member. Or there's someone seeking medications they can't have. Or someone is distressed by visitor restrictions, especially during the pandemic.

    There are panic alarms that healthcare workers can use when a situation becomes violent, and the system has metal detectors in all of its emergency departments in Northeast Ohio.

    "Patient safety and workplace safety are inextricably intertwined. You can't have one without the other," said Mary Beth Kingston, chief nursing officer at Advocate Aurora Health. "If someone doesn't feel safe at work, they can't perform."

    At Advocate Aurora, workplace safety is part of the health system's overall safety program because, while a threat, workplace violence is only one of the dangers healthcare workers face.

    "The business case is, I think, pretty clear. It costs more to not have a strong workplace violence prevention program than it does not to invest in that. It's an investment that pays off," Kingston said.

    Workplace violence can lead to higher turnover, which is costly; worker's compensation claims; lost productivity; and a hit to the system's reputation, Kingston said.

    Advocate Aurora offers online violence prevention and workplace safety training programs for workers, but direct-care providers also receive more extensive in-person training. However, the infection prevention protocols made necessary by the pandemic have hindered some of the in-person training opportunities, Kingston said.

    "In all transparency, we lost a little bit of ground in the past year," she said.

    During the pandemic, workers at screening sites, where visitors and patients are checked for COVID-19 symptoms, have experienced aggression from individuals upset about mask policies or other issues, Kingston said.

    The system makes reporting instances of physical violence, aggression and threats a priority. It reviews those cases and determines if there was a medical, medication or behavioral health issue involved. Cases that involve a patient are noted in the patient's medical record to help those providing care in the future avoid another violent event.

    "We review the trends, and we learn from those instances," Kingston said.

    Each year, and more often as needed, the public safety team reviews all facilities and units for risk to make sure the design of the space is optimized for worker safety, Kingston said. For example, Kingston once worked in an emergency department where the exit was only accessible by passing patients. That site ended up installing a back exit and making sure all new EDs had accessible exits for workers.

    "Hospitals want to be open and welcoming but the violence that's in society has definitely spilled over to every aspect of healthcare," Kingston said.

    Dr. Henry Pitzele, president of the Illinois chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians and an emergency physician at a VA Hospital in Chicago, said part of deterring violence comes down to "depth of personnel.''

    "Security and policing personnel in the emergency room 24/7 is something you would think everyone should have," he said. "Well, it is not."

    A national effort
    The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill, H.R. 1195, that will create a minimum standard for health employers' plans to combat violence against their workers. Lawmakers approved basing the standard on voluntary guidelines created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2015. Under the bill, employers would need to create training programs, investigation procedures and track violent incidents against workers, with more specific regulations coming through OSHA rulemaking over the next three years.

    "Employers have not taken the action they need to prevent workplace violence from happening," said Jane Thomason, an industrial hygienist with nurses' union National Nurses United.

    Thomason said nurses have seen employers pull back on workplace safety measures, such as having adequate staff, during the pandemic, and historically fail to safely design patient care units to prevent nurses from getting trapped and fail to put alarm systems in place.

    The American Hospital Association said it appreciates Congress addressing the issue but wants to make sure any standards set aren't "overly burdensome for hospitals and other employers."

    "Addressing workplace violence is an issue that hospitals and health systems have focused on within their facilities and in the communities they serve. Ensuring the safety of our No. 1 asset, the men and women who care for patients in our facilities, is our top priority," an AHA spokesperson said.

    To that end, the CEOs from 10 hospital systems created a CEO Coalition this year to create a new safety standard for healthcare workers as the pandemic has highlighted the risks and inequities in the industry.

    Building community

    Some healthcare systems have had to change their approach to safety during the pandemic so they could to better address the communities they care for.

    "We had yearly training for the behavioral event response team and regular response team events, but the increase in our pediatric population demonstrating emotional trauma was overwhelming," said Tammy Sinkfield-Morey, nurse supervisor at Gillette's Childrens' Specialty Care, a not-for-profit hospital in St. Paul, Minn. "They were completely different from the patients Gillette usually sees."

    Predominantly white staff did not know how to help Black or Brown patients feeling trauma and pain following the police killing of George Floyd and continued police brutality within the community. This lack of preparation and understanding led to dangerous interactions for staff as well as patients, Sinkfield-Morey said. With the support of Regions Hospital administrators, Sinkfield-Morey now runs monthly gatherings for co-workers, who feel disconnected from the urban communities they serve, to discuss diversity and safety training.

    "Until we get to a more relational way of understanding patients, we will not be able to create a safe space for patients or staff," said Sinkfield-Morey.

    McDonald, of University of Minnesota's Community Healthcare Center, says she also sees remedies to workplace violence through community building between providers and patients. She explains that it was the center's partnership with the American Indian Movement, which patrolled the area overnight, that kept healthcare workers and the facility safe from violence during protests in Minneapolis.

    McDonald attributes these "transformational and not transactional" relationships to supporting diverse staff in leadership roles. She says this structure helps build that understanding of patients and creates a safe space for workers to report violent or traumatic incidents.

    Robert Pearl, who spent 14 years of his career as a police officer responding to calls from University of Kentucky Good Samaritan Hospital, says he saw care facilities and local police tasked with keeping them safe growing more disconnected from their community toward the end of his career in July 2017.

    "I have gotten up there and there were nurses bleeding and getting spit on," said Pearl. "It was getting a whole lot more physical."

    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
    alma medical center-main_i.png
    MyMichigan nurses vote to strike, joining other healthcare workers across the state
    Nurses Strike Mt Sinai Jan 9 7.53.JPG
    Nurses at 2 NY hospitals ratify contracts
    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
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Digital Health
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • 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
        • 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
        • - Supply Chain
        • - 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