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Â鶹ÊÓƵ Health is re-launching an internal and community awareness campaign aimed at curbing verbal abuse and violence against health care workers as the system recognizes Nurses and Hospital Week.

The ‘Let’s Be Kind’ campaign first appeared during the pandemic. It features prominent banners and wall clings throughout Â鶹ÊÓƵ facilities, noting that “We want to maintain a safe and respectful environment for our team members, patients and visitors.” The campaign also lists unacceptable behaviors that can lead to removal, and notes it is a felony to assault a health care worker.

“Almost 75% of workplace violence in the U.S. is committed against healthcare workers,” noted Stephen Hollowell, Senior Director for Security for Â鶹ÊÓƵ

“Hospitals are meant to be safe spaces for comfort and healing,” Hollowell added. “We expect appropriate behavior from patients and visitors, and our colleagues, during all engagements. Â鶹ÊÓƵ is committed to balancing a welcoming environment with a robust safety program.”

While overall incident trends are down, the recent incident at Â鶹ÊÓƵ Albemarle Medical Center in April has put a renewed spotlight on Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Workplace Violence Prevention (WVP) program, which has been growing since 2019. Here are some key initiatives that have made Â鶹ÊÓƵ hospitals, and all sites of care and business, safer.   

• Visitor Badging Systems: This initiative is active at all Â鶹ÊÓƵ hospitals. Visitors stop at a reception desk, show a photo ID, and have their picture taken for a one-day visitor badge. Visitor badging has been shown to create a respectful atmosphere and reduce verbal and physical abuse of clinical staff.  
• Weapon Detection Systems: The Xtract system is rolling out to all Emergency Departments this year. It picks up firearms, knives, chemical mace, and other weapons as visitors walk through, so armed security personnel can intercept. All EDs will be completed by Fall 2025. The systems will then roll out across acute care main entrances.
• Enhanced Security staff: All Â鶹ÊÓƵ security officers wear standardized uniforms identifying them as Security. Officers are trained on de-escalation and safety protocols. We support officers achieving certification by the International Association for Hospital Security and Safety.
• De-escalation training: This is required for staff in Security, EDs, Behavioral Health, ICUs and Family Maternity. We have since made computer-based de-escalation training available to all Â鶹ÊÓƵ colleagues, and produced a ‘See Something, Say Something’ video featuring Â鶹ÊÓƵ colleagues.
• Internal reporting and Tele-Magistrate program: Where the technology is available, Â鶹ÊÓƵ workers who are assaulted can speak to a magistrate remotely from their work site to obtain a warrant. Â鶹ÊÓƵ fully supports employees who file charges through the court process. We’ve also made it easier for colleagues to file reports on violence.
• Enhanced Behavioral Health safety in EDs: An assessment of ED treatment rooms resulted in safety enhancements for behavioral health patients, including reductions in ligature risk and removal of wall-mounted gauges to make rooms safer. We have hired dozens of Behavior Health practitioners and improved our clinical responses to behavioral health patients through a system Behavior Health Task force.

These are some of the initiatives Â鶹ÊÓƵ has adopted to improve workplace safety and, just as importantly, the perception of workplace safety for our teams.

“Â鶹ÊÓƵ is a safer place to work, thanks to our system’s commitment from the highest levels of leadership to workplace violence prevention,” Hollowell concludes. “It’s not just by preventing violence, but enhancing safety in our parking areas by eliminating blind spots, pruning shrubbery and upgrading lighting. It is a comprehensive program to enhance safety, so our teams can keep on fulfilling the Â鶹ÊÓƵ mission to improve health every day.”