The Illinois Emergency Nurses Association is showing up for nurses by appearing at court hearings to support their peers who have been assaulted at work and to send a message to offenders, law enforcement and the court system.
“As we started hearing about more nurses being assaulted, and seeing the assaults reported on social media and news sites, we knew the dirty little secret of workplace violence was growing – and we had to do something,” said IENA President Karen Battaglia.
The council designated a special interest group charged with finding ways to address the problem in Illinois. It started by sending cards to nurses who were assaulted at work, to let them know the council members care, and that has grown into an offer by IENA members to accompany nurses to their court dates.
“Many nurses do not want to deal with the hassle and logistics of multiple court dates, continuances, trying to get time off of work to attend,” she said.
By attending court hearings with their peers, IENA members show solidarity with the nurses who are brave enough to go through the process.
“The other reason we would go is to show the court system – judges, state’s attorneys, defense attorneys and the offender – that we are no longer going to be silent and tolerate the abuse,” Battaglia said. “In Illinois it is a Class 3 felony to assault a nurse while they are performing their job, but these cases rarely result in charges or make it to court.
“In no other setting would that be acceptable. If someone assaults a police officer, they are charged. Why are nurses any less important?” Battaglia added.
The Illinois ENA Council encourages every nurse to report workplace violence incidents to their employers to continue building data that helps identify gaps in systems, as well as to law enforcement.
“Every incident matters,” Battaglia said.
No Silence on ED Violence 