National Nurses United, the country's largest labor union for nurses, surveyed more than 1,200 members this year. They found 85% nurses who responded experienced at least one form of workplace violence in the past year.
The nurses described verbal threats, harassment, physical assaults and sexual violence.
“We also saw in the survey that health care employers are not putting in place the measures that we know can prevent workplace violence,” said Jane Thomason with National Nurses United.
The union is pushing for a federal workplace violence prevention standard.
“The federal bill is based on our experience in California with what has worked well here and would apply that standard to all states,” Thomason said.
California already requires hospitals to maintain workplace violence prevention plans and train employees.
At Scripps Health, CEO Chris Van Gorder said prevention efforts have led to a “huge improvement in the reduction of injuries.”
He helped launch a regional task force in 2023 that brought hospitals, law enforcement and prosecutors together.
“Now in San Diego, there's prosecutors that handle health care workplace violence cases,” Van Gorder said.
The San Diego County District Attorney's Office said they have prosecuted 140 hospital-related violence cases since July 2023.
Still, Van Gorder said violence in health care cannot be solved by hospitals alone.
“It is the hospital, but it's also law enforcement, the district attorney, the city attorney, social services programs. The community needs to surround the hospital,” he said.
Workplace violence may never disappear completely, he said, but hospitals and community partners can make a difference.
“Are we going to reduce it to zero? No. Can we reduce it? Yes,” he said.
