Honoring our Fallen Healthcare Workers

Recognizing our fallen fellow healthcare workers.

Today I would like to take a moment to recognize Jacqueline Pokuaa and Annette Flowers, who were shot and killed at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Oct. 22. Jacqueline was a social worker covering the women and infant unit, and Annette was one of the mom-baby nurses. My heart goes out to their families and staff at Methodist Dallas who continue to come to work in the aftermath of such a tragic event.

On social media you can see various healthcare workers placing the RN symbol with a line through it, as a recognition of and honor to our fallen fellow healthcare workers. This event is tragic, and unfortunately, no longer unique. In June, a disgruntled patient opened fire in a Tulsa, Oklahoma hospital, killing three healthcare workers and a relative of a patient.

This past March, the American Hospital Association (AHA) published an open letter to the Attorney General requesting support and additional protections, in response to increasing violence against healthcare workers. At that time, 44 percent of nurses reported physical violence and 68 percent reported verbal abuse since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The AHA pleaded for federal regulations to support healthcare workers, which would place them under similar protections as flight crews and airport workers. 

On June 7, U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) introduced to the House Judiciary Committee the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act, H.R. 7961. This Act would establish legal penalties for assaulting or intimidating hospital employees. In particular, the SAVE Act would establish federal criminal penalties for those who knowingly assault and intimidate hospital employees. Additionally, the bill authorizes $25 million in grant funding over 10 years to reduce violence and intimidation in hospitals. These funds would be approved to be used for training, law-enforcement coordination in healthcare settings, and technology support, such as cameras or metal detectors. To date, this bill is still sitting at the House of Representatives awaiting a vote.  

Today I ask, have you seen a change in security presence at your organization since the increased violence in hospitals across the country unfolded?   The responses from the Monitor Mondays Listeners Survey may surprise you; they can be viewed here.

Programming Note: Listen to Tiffany Ferguson’s live reporting on the SDoH every Monday on Monitor Mondays at 10 a.m. EST.

References:

https://www.aaos.org/globalassets/advocacy/action-center/2022-issue-one-page—save-act.pdf