Kansas nurses call for action to protect health workers against workplace violence – Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Kansas nurses are demanding extra be finished to guard well being staff in response to the assault Wednesday at an Oklahoma hospital and rising violence in opposition to medical workers.

The taking pictures at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa resulted in 4 deaths and left a number of extra injured. It’s a reminder that extra protections are wanted for well being care staff, who had been already disproportionately targets of office violence earlier than the pandemic, stated Kelly Sommers, state director for the Kansas State Nurses Affiliation.

Sommers stated her group would proceed to advocate for Violence within the Office and Protected Staffing laws on the state and nationwide ranges.

“Our sincerest ideas, hearts, and tears are with our fellow nurses, well being care workers and households concerning the intentional deadly taking pictures at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, together with two physicians, a receptionist, and a affected person,” Sommers stated. “The truest dedication consists of all the staff on the hospital that returned to work after this horrible act of violence directed at workers.”

Office violence is a big drawback for well being care staff that, whereas exacerbated by the pandemic, has been ongoing for a while. For instance, 2018 federal information exhibits office accidents outpaced different industries drastically with 73% of non-fatal office accidents from violence.

Somewhat greater than 10% of well being care staff missed work due to non-fatal office violence. And because the pandemic started, hospital directors and workers throughout the nation have reported elevated aggression fueled by pandemic-related gripes.

That’s the reason KSNA will likely be in Washington, D.C., subsequent week assembly with U.S. senators and representatives to handle the necessity for violence within the office laws. Moreover, Sommers stated KSNA will introduce a invoice for the 2023 Kansas legislative session with protections for all well being care workers.

“Office violence is a severe subject that must be addressed for all of us that work in well being care services,” Sommers stated. “Payments have to be handed to carry employers accountable to supply the most secure setting potential and permit for felony prosecution for violent acts by customers.”

A invoice within the 2022 session would have created new penalties for interference with hospitals and assaults in opposition to well being staff, giving these actions comparable weight to assaulting legislation enforcement or a primary responder. The invoice cleared the Home Judiciary Committee however didn’t obtain a chance on the Home ground.

At Lawrence Memorial Well being, the commonest kinds of violence are verbal assaults, however generally they’ll boil to the bodily degree with spitting, scratching, hitting or kicking.

“I believe it could in all probability shock folks in our group on the variety of instances our workers are the victims of violence within the emergency division setting,” stated Jan Wiebe, emergency division director for LMH Well being in Lawrence.

Whereas the laws meant to guard well being care staff is supported by legislation enforcement and well being care officers throughout the state, some legislators have been much less inclined to get behind it. Throughout the listening to in February, Rep. Boog Highberger was involved it could not resolve any issues.

“A number of conferees said that this invoice goes to supply elevated safety for our well being care staff and if I really imagine that, I’d help it in a heartbeat with none questions,” the Lawrence Democrat stated. “What I haven’t seen is the proof.”

Proponents stated it was troublesome to current concrete information for protections they don’t but have. Sommers stated regardless of detractors or doubters within the legislature, KSNA would proceed to push for significant laws.

“Nurses return to work each single day, even after incidents the place we now have co-workers who’ve been injured or disabled by the violence of customers,” Sommers stated. “KSNA will proceed to come back ahead, not simply with phrases, however with actual motion.”