The healthcare workforce is at higher risk of harm due to violence than other professional fields. Recent increases in workplace violence represent a major barrier to both staff and patient safety, prompting the need for additional resources, training and education.
The MHA Keystone Center Patient Safety Organization (PSO) Annual Meeting brings together national safety and clinical experts each year to discuss trending topics in healthcare.The 2023 meeting will be held virtually 9 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. May 3, focused on workforce safety and security. Speaker presentations include:
Stephen Weiler, emergency management specialist at HSS, an MHA Endorsed Business Partner, will provide an overview of HSS and its physical risk assessments.
Brian Uridge, deputy director at the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety will outline actions health systems can take to address and reduce healthcare violence. He will also provide examples of safety training procedures and policies for members to replicate.
The Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act is newly proposed federal legislation to give healthcare workers the same legal protections against assault and intimidation that flight crews and airport workers have under federal law. U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Larry Bucshon, MD, (R-IN) are the original cosponsors of the bill, and the MHA urges all members to contact their U.S. representative to ask them to cosponsor H.R. 7961. Contact information is available through the American Hospital Association’s action alert on the bill.
The increase in acts of violence against healthcare workers in every setting — inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory and home care — is frightening, and the MHA is committed to doing everything possible to respond to this crisis and show support for those delivering patient care. In addition to offering federal-level protections to healthcare workers, the SAVE Act would provide grants to hospitals for programs to help reduce the incidence of violence in care settings. These grants could be used for training hospital personnel, coordinating with state and local law enforcement, and purchasing equipment or technology that will assist in creating a safer environment.
On a related note, the MHA has developed workplace safety posters for members to display throughout their facilities to highlight the consequences of causing physical harm to healthcare workers or hospital property. Complimentary copies of the materials are available to MHA members upon request.
Members and other citizens concerned about the safety of healthcare workers are encouraged to ask their U.S. representative to cosponsor the SAVE Act as quickly as possible. It is among the MHA’s highest legislative priorities at the federal and state level. For more information, contact Laura Appel at the MHA.
“The mission of the MHA is to advance the health of individuals and communities,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “Ensuring the safety of our healthcare workers and improving efforts to address health equity, diversity and inclusion fulfills our mission and is critical to every Michigan hospital and community.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare sector had the highest distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the private sector in 2020, while OSHA data indicates healthcare workers are nearly four times more likely on average to experience violence than individuals in other industries.
Improving workplace safety in hospitals has been the focus of the MHA, the MHA Keystone Center and Michigan hospitals since the MHA Workplace Safety Collaborative was launched in 2019 with the goal to reduce injuries and increase safety awareness through educational events, webinar series and insights from subject matter experts.
With reported rates of violence against healthcare workers increasing during surges of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the MHA has actively advocated for House Bill 5682. This legislation would double the fines for assaulting a healthcare employee or volunteer in any healthcare setting. To help increase awareness of protecting healthcare workers, the MHA has developed and provided to MHA members free of charge workplace violence posters.
Diversity, equity and inclusion is another key component of the activities of the MHA Keystone Center. The MHA Board of Trustees endorsed in 2020 the Address Racism and Health Inequities pledge, which has since been embraced by all MHA member hospitals and hospital systems. The pledge expresses the need for hospitals to commit to addressing disparities, dismantling institutional racism and achieving health equity. The MHA Keystone Center also released the Eliminating Disparities to Advance Health Equity and Improve Quality guide, which is to be used by hospitals to assess strategies aimed at reducing disparities, achieving equity and improving quality.
“I am very proud of the work the MHA Keystone Center has made on both workplace safety and diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Sarah Scranton, MPA, MPP, vice president, safety and quality, MHA, and executive director, MHA Keystone Center. “The safety of caregivers and addressing health disparities can significantly impact the quality and safety of care delivered inside a hospital.”
Health equity is achieved when all members of society enjoy a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, social determinants of health contribute to racial and ethnic minority groups having disproportionate health outcomes and include neighborhood and physical environment, health and healthcare, occupation and job conditions, income and wealth, and education. The MHA and the MHA Keystone Center have long been committed to addressing health disparities, which is a foundational concept that shapes all the organization’s quality improvement and safety efforts.
More information about the MHA’s efforts and resources on workplace safety and health equity can be found at mha.org.
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Healthcare workers across the country are experiencing a growing rate of incidents of violence against front-line caregivers, including workers in Michigan. In fact, healthcare workers are nearly four times more likely to experience violence than individuals in other industries, according to the …
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Healthcare workers across the country are experiencing a growing rate of incidents of violence against front-line caregivers, including workers in Michigan. In fact, healthcare workers are nearly four times more likely to experience violence than individuals in other industries, according to the Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA). In conjunction with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s declaration of April as Workplace Violence Awareness Month, the MHA is highlighting related resources that are available to its members.
The American Hospital Association has a dedicated webpage providing several workforce and workplace violence prevention tools for hospitals. Additionally, an OSHA publication titled Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers provides healthcare workers with tips to identify and assess workplace violence hazards and detailed information for developing violence prevention programs.
The MHA, the MHA Keystone Center and Michigan hospitals are partnering to address violence against healthcare workers through de-escalation and resiliency trainings and through the work of the MHA Workplace Safety Collaborative. The collaborative launched in March 2019 with the goal to reduce injuries and increase safety awareness through educational events, webinar series and insights from subject matter experts.
The MHA has also developed workplace safety posters for members to display throughout their facilities, communicating the consequences of committing physical harm toward healthcare workers or hospital property. The informational posters are geared toward patients, families and visitors, with various creative options available in two sizes. Complimentary copies of the materials are available to MHA members by request through an online order form. Nonmembers may purchase materials at cost.
The MHA Keystone Center collects member data on workplace safety that is used to determine areas in which their efforts should be focused, especially for workplace violence. Additionally, members can view the Workplace Safety dashboard to recognize trends in their reportable data. Members are encouraged to submit their OSHA recordable incident rate; lost time case rate; and days away, restricted or transfer rate each month in the MHA Keystone Center’s data reporting platform, KeyMetrics. Those with questions may contact the MHA Keystone Center.
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“The plight of hospitals during the omicron pandemic is prominent in news coverage. Workforce shortages and bed capacity issues grab headlines, especially in regions where the omicron wave is surging.”
“Public health officials predict this wave will pass in the next 1-2 months while cautioning about future variant possibilities. This adds to unprecedented uncertainties facing hospitals.”
Michelle Pena, chief nursing officer for Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, testifies on HBs 5084 and 5682.
The Michigan Legislature returned to Lansing the week of Jan. 24 to address several bills relevant to Michigan hospitals. In the House Government Operations Committee, testimony was taken on a pair of bills to expand penalties for assaulting emergency department employees. The House Health Policy Committee held a hearing on legislation to allow physicians to prescribe certain off-label medications to patients terminally ill with COVID-19, and a bill to make changes to Michigan’s auto no-fault insurance law was introduced in the House.
The MHA provided written testimony in support of House Bills (HBs) 5084 and 5682, which would expand the penalties for assaulting emergency department employees. In addition, Michelle Pena, chief nursing officer for Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in Grand Rapids, testified before the committee Jan. 26 in support of the bills. The legislation would bring Michigan in line with 32 other states where it is a felony to assault healthcare workers or emergency medical personnel. HBs 5084 and 5682 were introduced by Rep. Ben Frederick (R-Owosso) and Mike Mueller (R-Linden), respectively, and would provide further protection within hospital emergency departments. The MHA offered the committee potential amendments to expand the legislation to protect healthcare workers in all care settings and will continue to monitor the legislation.
The House Health Policy Committee took testimony on HB 5637, which would allow physicians to prescribe certain off-label medications to patients terminally ill with COVID-19. The bill amends the “Right to Try Act,” which is intended to give patients access to medications that are still in trial with the Food and Drug Administration for their condition or have already been approved to treat another diagnosis. As currently written, HB 5367 would allow off-label medications to treat COVID-19 to be prescribed only by the treating physician, and the bill would not require healthcare facilities to offer new medications or services that they do not already provide. The MHA has not taken a position on HB 5637.
Rep. Phil Green (R-Millington) introduced HB 5698 in the House Jan. 26 to modify the Michigan auto no-fault insurance law. Since the July 1 implementation of new reimbursement tiers, hospitals have faced significant issues in provider reimbursement, in addition to patients being transferred to hospitals after losing access to post-acute care. The bill seeks to clarify payments between auto insurers and providers and establish additional provisions to reimburse long-term care treatments. The legislation was referred to the House Insurance Committee. The MHA supports the bill as part of broader legal and regulatory efforts to clarify the existing law and will keep members apprised of its progress.
For more information on state legislation related to healthcare, contact Adam Carlson at the MHA.
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers are five times more likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall. This affects workers not just physically, but mentally, contributing to burnout and worsening turnover.
The virtual trainingTEAM® Essentials: Recognizing and Managing Aggression will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Jan. 28 and is designed for healthcare workers and volunteers who may encounter angry, disruptive or potentially dangerous individuals. The training will teach participants how to protect themselves and others by applying the TEAM® Aggression CycleSM techniques to verbally de-escalate and manage volatile situations. An organization registration fee of $100 allows for multiple employees and volunteers in one hospital to take advantage of this training.
The faculty for this event is an experienced law enforcement professional with HSS, an MHA Endorsed Business Partner organization with expertise in physical security and emergency management.
Contact Erica Leyko at the MHA to register for TEAM® Essentials: Recognizing and Managing Aggression.
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The threat or use of physical force or harassment against a healthcare worker very often results in injury, psychological trauma or stress. Aggressive behavior and violence are becoming a too frequent reality, and healthcare employees need to understand the actions and behaviors needed to protect themselves …
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MHA offices will be closed and no formal meetings will be scheduled Jan. 17 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
