Hospitals Gearing Up for Window Protection Amid Uptick in Violence and Looming Hurricane Season
The impact of COVID-19 on our lives has been dramatic and far-reaching. One under-the-radar issue has been the uptick on attacks on our nation’s health care workers. It had been an issue prior to COVID as workplace violence in health care facilities had resulted in the deaths of 58 hospital employees from 2011 to 2016. COVID-19 has made matters worse. Specifically, the crushing realty for family members not able to see their loved ones infected with the virus and even more so when they die without being able to say good-bye has increased the animosity toward health care workers even more. As a result, a bill aimed at workplace violence protections for health care workers has passed the House, as the Biden administration has urged lawmakers to advance legislation. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Healthcare and Social Service Workers Act passed the House in April and currently is working its way through the Senate. The bipartisan measure aims to require reporting and prev