Health care professionals need changes that make their workplaces safer and solutions to the problems underlying the increase in ED workplace violence. Below is information to assist you when contacting your lawmakers about enacting state and federal laws that protect health care workers and mitigate factors behind the violence.
The case for legislative action is clear, as outlined in “When Emergency Physicians Regularly Fear Violence at Work, It’s Past Time for Change” and “ENA Survey: 56 Percent of ED Nurses Assaulted in the Past Month.” Through ongoing conversations with lawmakers, as well as advocacy events such as ENA Day on the Hill and ACEP’s Leadership and Advocacy Conference, the voices of emergency nurses, physicians and other health care professionals can be heard.
Calls to action
ENA and ACEP, as well as their local councils, continue to advocate for federal and state legislation intended to combat the problem of workplace violence against health care professionals.
The Save Healthcare Workers Act (H.R. 3178/S. 1600) would allow federal authorities to charge those who assault hospital personnel with a federal crime and a prison term of up to 10 years.
Encourage your lawmakers to support H.R. 3178/S. 1600 with an ENA Action Alert.
Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 2531/S. 1232) would require hospitals to address violence prevention at their facilities and set national standards.
Encourage your lawmakers to support H.R. 2531/S. 1232 with an ENA Action Alert.
Guidance for hospital signage—ACEP, ENA and seven other organizations have requested clear guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding hospital signage that discourages acts and threats of violence against health care workers. Such signs can be one tool among many that shows health care professionals are supported and that violence is not part of their job. Read the letter here.
Become an ENA Grassroots Advocate
Download the ENA Government Relations Toolkit for guidance and tips for advocating year-round for laws that protect health care workers and lead to violence prevention.
Background videos
Hear from nurses and physicians who have been affected by workplace violence and are calling for change.
“In Case of Emergency” – Nurses describe the realities of workplace violence in excerpts from this award-winning documentary.
2024 Congressional Briefing – ENA, ACEP and American Hospitals Association representatives led a congressional briefing calling for legislation that mitigates workplace violence in emergency departments. (Includes link to video)
State of Emergency Nursing 2023 – Members of ENA and ACEP joined forces on Capitol Hill to call for action to mitigate workplace violence against health care workers. Watch the full video here or click on the following excerpts to hear veteran ED physicians and nurses. (May 2023)
- Christian Stone: “Nothing prepared me to walk into a shift every day to get screamed at, spit on, and swung at, cursed out, kicked, threatened by patients and their families.”
- Heidi Gilbert: “We need to be protected. We need impactful legislation and real support from our organizations. A safe environment to care for our patients is the bare minimum we expect.”
- James Phillips: “Our system is truly on the brink. We need to create a culture of safety in our hospitals, so that these places, once regarded as safe havens and houses of healing for our patients, perhaps begin to heal themselves.”
Day on the Hill 2022: View the complete press conference
No Silence on ED Violence 