Healthcare Workplace Violence:

Communication & Legislative Strategy

Status Quo
Status Quo
Status Quo
Knowledge Gaps
 Violence is vastly
underreported
 Surveys suggest
that roughly 50%
unreported
 One 2000 study
said 70% of
violence against
nurses goes
unreported
 Actionable data
difficult to find
SC: No Enhanced Penalties
why do healthcare workers not report?
 Duty to “Do No Harm” puts patient before
caretaker
 Perception that it’s just “part of the job”
 Lack of means of emergency communication
 Lack of training and policies for staff
 Employees believe incidents are unintentional
and unwilling to stigmatize perpetrators
 Lack of faith in the reporting system
 Fear of retaliation
Target Audience Message
Employees  Your safety is our top priority
 Violence is not part of your job
 We want you to report incidents
Public  Do not harm our employees
 Healthcare workers are here to
help you
 Hospitals are safe zones
Community Leaders  Healthcare workers at greater
Policy Makers risk
 SC one of 3 states with no
enhanced penalties for
healthcare workers
 Cost of violence to hospitals
types of content

 Posters  Op-Eds
 Flyers  Reporting Policy
 Social Media  Webpage
Graphics  Talking Points
 Legislation  Outdoor Signage
internal facing
 Posters  Op-Eds
 Flyers  Reporting Policy
 Social Media  Webpage
Graphics  Talking Points
 Legislation  Outdoor Signage
public facing
 Posters  Op-Eds
 Flyers  Reporting Policy
 Social Media  Webpage
Graphics  Talking Points
 Legislation  Outdoor Signage
employee facing
campaign
posters & flyers
posters & flyers
talking points for
hospital administrators & employees
 Workplace violence is a major
safety issue in hospitals and
health systems across the
country.
 We Care About Your Safety
 It’s Not Part of the Job.
 You Report. We Support.
 We’re Here to Help.
 We’re committed to reducing
the threat of workplace
violence by equipping facilities
with information to help
communicate the importance
of protecting our employees.
public facing
campaign
posters & flyers
talking points for
community leaders & policy makers
 From 2002 to 2013 workplace
violence was four times more
common in healthcare than private
industry.
 South Carolina is one of three
states that have no enhanced
penalties for violence against
healthcare workers.
 80 percent of violent incidents were
caused by interactions with patients
in 2013.
 Of the more than 24,000 workplace
assaults that occur annually, 70%
happen in the healthcare and social
services field.
 The estimated cost of violence
response efforts in U.S. hospitals
and health systems was
approximately $2.7 billion in 2016.
web site
social media
 legislation introduced in sc
 assault charge on ems personnel, an emergency
room doctor or nurse while on duty, carries an
automatic felony charge of assault and battery of a
high and aggravated nature (max 20 years)
 opposition
 penalty should follow the crime and not determined
by who is the victim
 why is healthcare more dangerous than other
industries?
 working with people with violent histories
 working with people with substance abuse issues
 lifting, moving, transporting, “touching” patients
why is healthcare more dangerous than
other industries (cont)?

 unrestricted public access

 working alone
 poor environmental design and poor lighting
 work in high-crime areas
 long wait times and overcrowded waiting room
 inadequate training and policies
 IS THAT ENOUGH?
 types of legislation in other states
 enhanced penalties for violence against emts,
firefighters, paramedics
 enhanced penalties for violence against emergency
healthcare workers
 enhanced penalties for violence against all
healthcare workers (34 states)
 varying degrees of felony based on whether a
weapon was used and other aggravating factors
 in nc, assault against a healthcare worker is a
Class I felony if no weapon is used, which has a
maximum prison time of 24 months
 in ga, assault against an emergency medical
provider is punishable by a minimum of five
years and a maximum of 20 years in prison
 hospital as a location for increased penalties?
 some state laws identify the hospital as where an
assault must occur for increased penalties
 example: nc law includes, “Hospital personnel
and licensed healthcare providers who are
providing or attempting to provide healthcare
services to a patient in a hospital.”

 potential legislation could include:

 all assaults on a hospital campus, regardless of
victim and assailant status
 assaults against hospital employees on a hospital
campus
 assaults against healthcare providers on a
hospital campus