Letter Urging Passage of Bill to Prevent Workplace Violence for Health Care Workers
June 16th, 2023
The Honorable Joe Courtney
2449 Rayburn House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Tammy Baldwin
141 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Congressman Courtney and Senator Baldwin:
On behalf of the 56 undersigned organizations representing the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) we thank you for introducing the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R.2663/S.1176) and strongly urge passage of this important legislation this Congress. The NCC is a cross section of education, practice, research, and regulation within the nursing profession representing Registered Nurses (RNs), Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs),1 nurse leaders, students, faculty, and researchers. Our dedicated nursing workforce deserves to feel 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.
In fact, those working in health care and social services are five times more likely to suffer workplace violence than other professions.3 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. H.R.2663/S.1176 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 commend you for introducing the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R.2663/S.1176) and urge Congress to pass this vital effort so it may be signed into law. 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.
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 Public Health Association, Public Health Nursing Section
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
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 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
1 APRNs include certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and nurse practitioners (NPs).
2 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
3 Ibid
Promoting America’s Health Through Nursing Care www.thenursingcommunity.org