Letter to Senate Leadership Urging Passage of Legislation to Stop Workplace Violence
November 18th, 2022
The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Republican Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell:
On behalf of the 58 undersigned organizations representing the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) we urge you to consider and pass the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (S.4182) this Congress. With the recent events in Dallas, TX, where two healthcare workers, including a nurse, were fatally shot,(1) and in Durham, NC where a nurse practitioner was stabbed to death(2) , the time is now to address workplace violence at the federal level. As the cross section of education, practice, research, and regulation within the nursing profession, representing Registered Nurses (RNs), Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs),(3) nurse leaders, students, faculty, and researchers, the NCC is dedicated to ensuring our current and future nursing workforce feels safe in all settings, and this legislation is an important first step.
Nurses and health care practitioners are among the professions with the highest rates of workplace violence. In 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 73% of all nonfatal workplace incidents due to violence were among health care workers. (4) Further, those working in health care and social services are five times more likely to suffer workplace violence than other professions.(5) In fact, the recent 2022 second quarter report from Press Ganey’s National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators highlighted the startling reality that more than two nurses an hour, or 57 nurses daily, were assaulted.(6) We have witnessed the impact this has had on the workforce, which was underscored in the American Nurses Foundation survey where 29% of respondents reported having experienced at least one violent incident.(7)
This is a growing concern for our current and future nurses, especially at a time when the health care delivery system is already under extreme stress to meet the nation’s demands. Currently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have longstanding voluntary guidance. However, that is not solving the problem. Like the House-passed bill, S.4182 would work to specifically address the startling realities of workplace violence by directing OSHA to put forth enforceable safety standards.
Addressing workplace violence, especially for our nation’s nurses and APRNs who remain on the frontlines of health care delivery in this country, is imperative. We urge you to take this first step and pass the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (S.4182) this Congress. If the Nursing Community Coalition can be of any assistance to you or your staff, please do not hesitate to contact the coalition’s Executive Director, Rachel Stevenson, at rstevenson@thenursingcommunity.org or at 202- 463-6930, ext. 271.
Sincerely,
Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
Academy of Neonatal Nursing
American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing
American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners
American Academy of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
American Association of Heart Failure Nurses
American Association of Neuroscience Nurses
American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing
American College of Nurse-Midwives
American Nephrology Nurses Association
American Nurses Association
American Nursing Informatics Association
American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc.
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
American Society for Pain Management Nursing
American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
Association for Radiologic and Imaging Nursing
Association of Community Health Nursing Educators
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
Association of Public Health Nurses
Association of Rehabilitation Nurses
Association of Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetists
Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service
Dermatology Nurses’ Association
Emergency Nurses Association
Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research
Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
Infusion Nurses Society
International Association of Forensic Nurses
International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses
National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
National Association of Hispanic Nurses
National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
National Association of Neonatal Nurses
National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of School Nurses
National Council of State Boards of Nursing
National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers
National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence
National League for Nursing
National Nurse-Led Care Consortium
National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties
Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs
Oncology Nursing Society
Organization for Associate Degree Nursing
Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society
Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
Society of Pediatric Nurses
Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates
cc:
Chair Patty Murray, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Ranking Member Richard Burr, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Senator Tammy Baldwin
1 Associated Press. (October 24, 2022). Police: Boyfriend at Texas hospital for baby’s birth kills. Retrieved from: https://apnews.com/article/health-dallas-shootings-588b62b3e2420075247482b2e31c1b14 2 WRAL. (October 18, 2022) Mental health nurse practitioner was killed by patient in stabbing, family says. Retrieved from: https://www.wral.com/mental-health-nurse-practitioner-was-killed-by-patient-in-stabbing-family-says/20527326/ 3 APRNs include certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). 4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (April 2020). Fact Sheet, Workplace Violence in Healthcare, 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.bls.gov/iif/factsheets/workplace-violence-healthcare-2018.htm 5 Ibid 6 Press Ganey. On average, two nurses are assaulted every hour, new Press Ganey analysis finds. (September 8, 2022) Retrieved from: https://www.pressganey.com/news/on-average-two-nurses-are-assaulted-every-hour-new-press-ganey-analysis-finds/ 7 American Nurses Foundation. (2022) Workplace Survey. Page 4. Retrieved from: https://www.nursingworld.org/~4a209f/globalassets/covid19/anf-2022-workforce-written-report-final.pdf
Promoting America’s Health Through Nursing Care www.thenursingcommunity.org · 202-463-6930 ext. 272