Assembly & Senate Pass Legislation to Protect Healthcare Workers in Emergency Settings

Governor Hochul has signed into law legislation (A.203-B, Cruz/S.5294-B, Sepulveda) supported by MSSNY and the New York American College of Emergency Physicians to require hospitals to develop a violence prevention program including the establishment of security personnel in hospital emergency departments to protect physicians, nurses, and hospital staff who provide critical medical care in such emergency departments from violent verbal and physical abuse. The MSSNY House of Delegates has adopted Policy 315.985 that calls for MSSNY to “advocate for development of appropriate minimal facility security standards for all New York State licensed hospitals by a broad based professional advisory panel.”

Violence against healthcare workers has long been a problem, but there has been a dramatic increase in intimidation, threats and attacks toward physicians and other health professionals over the last decade, becoming even more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), between 2011 and 2018, violent attacks against medical professionals grew by 67% with health professionals five times more likely to experience workplace violence than workers in all industries. Healthcare professionals were also 50% more likely than other community members to have been harassed, bullied or hurt because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, according to surveys by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), almost half of emergency medicine physicians report being physically assaulted at work, while about 70% of emergency nurses report being hit and kicked while on the job.