CLEVELAND — Just days after a shooting at Aultman Hospital in Canton that left one hospital employee injured, healthcare workers are speaking out about the growing violence they face on the job.
A recent study by National Nurses United found that a staggering 8 out of 10 healthcare workers experience violence at work. As a result, they are more than four times as likely to be injured by workplace violence than workers in all other industries combined.
Healthcare workers say violence has increased since the pandemic. While some legislation has been passed, many still feel it’s not enough, and fear retaliation for speaking out.
Rick Lucas, a registered nurse and the president and executive director of the Ohio Nurses Association, says every hospital is dealing with violence.
“It's really unavoidable, you know, I’ve had people get in my face, threaten to kill me,” said Lucas.
He told News 5 that violence and attacks inside hospitals have become a serious, daily concern.
“We're talking about people being bitten, spit on, throwing a urinal at them, throwing a stool at them, punching them, you know, we had somebody that was beat on and dragged around by her ankles like that this is not normal,” said Luzas.
In Canton, a man is now facing charges after allegedly taking a gun from a security guard and firing it at hospital staff. One employee was injured. The suspect is being held in jail in lieu of a $1 million bond. Watch more:
RELATED: Man accused of shooting Aultman Hospital employee held on $1 million bond
Aultman Health released the following statement:
"At Aultman, the safety and security of our patients, visitors and colleagues is our highest priority. We are doing everything we can to care for a member of our Aultman family who was struck by a bullet in the line of duty at Aultman Hospital tonight. The colleague and family have reported that the colleague is in stable condition. The Emergency Department is safe and secure, and we are actively treating and accepting patients. We are working closely with the Canton Police Department to uncover all the details of what happened."
But Lucas says staff told him standard safety procedures may not have been followed.
“From the staff that we heard from, you know, they didn't follow their protocol and have an overhead announcement that there was, you know, a code silver, that there's somebody with a firearm there,” Lucas said.
According to Centegix, healthcare workers make up just 10% of the U.S. workforce, but they experience 48% of all reported non-fatal workplace violence injuries. Lucas says there are several reasons that number is so high, including growing societal unrest and the politicization of healthcare.
“Unfortunately, we have elected leaders who are out undermining science, and that undermines the trust in us as professionals as they push these wild conspiracy theories, and it erodes the trust and it increases violence,” Lucas said.
He also notes that many incidents go unreported because workers fear punishment from their own employers.
“It's not always safe to report violence; sometimes we're threatened by hospital administrators, with discipline for reporting,” Lucas said.
Some hospitals are taking action. The Cleveland Clinic recently launched a Center for Workplace Violence Prevention and Caregiver Well-being. But Lucas says more needs to be done—both at the hospital level and through stronger legislation.
“We need there to be strong policies in place to also curb and deter the violence, but we need protocols and preventative measures to mitigate harm,” Lucas said.
Because in a place where their job is to care for patients, violence shouldn’t be a concern.
“We don't wear body armor, you know, we're not trained in hand to hand combat, you know, we're caring professionals and so it's not in our nature to fight back,” said Lucas.
Earlier this year, the Healthcare Workplace Safety Act took effect. It requires hospitals to develop formal security plans to prevent workplace violence and to establish a clear incident reporting system.
Lucas sees that as progress—but says there’s still more to do, including requiring metal detectors and systems to flag individuals with a history of violence.
