U.S. Rep. Dean participates in roundtable addressing health care worker safety

U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean met with members of the Pottstown Hospital – Tower Health in Pottstown, Pa., and other health care advocates during a roundtable discussion regarding the rise in violence and abuse against health care workers across the country.

Dean has introduced the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act, which would make assaulting or intimidating hospital employees a federal crime to deter violence and abuse against health care professionals. The legislation is modeled after similar protections for aircraft and airport workers.

“Health care workers serve our communities every day with selflessness, yet misinformation and shameful ignorance has increased violence and intimidation in hospitals. So, today I joined Pottstown Hospital – Tower Health to learn more about their experiences on the ground,” Dean said. “I introduced the SAVE Act in June with my colleague, Congressman Buschon, to make violence and intimidation of health care workers a federal crime—and to provide protection that our health care workers deserve.”

During the roundtable, Dean heard from health professionals about the challenges they face on the job.

“We really want to create an environment for our staff that is safe and free from abuse and workplace violence,” said Ann Blankenhorn, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, vice president, nursing clinical practice and education and Center for Patient Safety, Tower Health. “The SAVE Act elevates this issue to show our staff—and all health care professionals—that this is so important.”

Violence and abuse targeting healthcare professionals is on the rise in Pennsylvania and across the country. In a recent survey of Pennsylvania hospitals by The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP), 77 percent of responding hospitals said they had seen a significant rise in violence against emergency department staff. And according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, hospital workers were six times more likely to suffer a workplace injury due to violence than people in other professions.

“There’s no one-solution fix for violence and abuse against health care workers,” said HAP Vice President of Emergency Management Chris Chamberlain, MS, RN, CHEP. “We need to work to prevent these incidents from happening and respond to them when they do. This bill addresses both of these things. Most importantly, it affirms that violence and abuse towards health professionals is never OK.”