Conference Looks to Find Ways to Curb Workplace Violence in NY Hospitals

WRVO | By Randy Gorbman

Finding ways to keep both patients and staff safe in healthcare settings was the focus of a conference held at Turning Stone Resort Casino on Thursday.

It was the third annual event called “Respect and Heal,” and it brought together more than 200 officials from hospitals throughout Central New York.

Speaking at a conference on workplace violence in healthcare settings, NY State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said the state is already taking steps to make hospitals more secure.(Randy Gorbman/ New York Public News Network)

One takeaway from listening to these healthcare professionals is that violence in hospitals is unfortunately not a rare thing. In fact, a study done several years ago showed that up to 38% of healthcare workers worldwide experience physical violence at some point in their careers.

Dr. Robert Corona, the CEO of Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, and the founder of the Respect and Health initiative, said that workplace violence can make it more difficult to recruit and retain healthcare workers.

“People want jobs where they feel safe and so (in a) hospital environment where you’re dealing with a lot of sick and sometimes violent people, they’ll choose to go to a safer clinic or someplace not in a hospital environment,” said Corona. “It’s a real deterrent for workplace recruitment.”

The keynote speaker at Thursday’s conference, New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald, said it’s useful to have this kind of advocacy and collaboration.

“One of the things we do as the Department Health, we often convene people as well,” McDonald said. “But really, one of the issues we’re trying to address is, how do we make healthcare accessible, affordable and safe? But part of that means the staff has to be safe too.”

McDonald said the state has already taken steps to set standards for hospital safety.

But some of the healthcare professionals at this week’s conference said they would like to look at the possibility of even stricter laws and regulations.

That includes Seth Kronenberg, CEO of Crouse Health, who called attention to disparities in how assaults are handled in the legal system. “Because if it’s a higher penalty for assaulting a flight attendant than it is a nurse, then we’re not going to get to the level of improvement that we need,” said Kronenberg.

New York State Senator Joseph Griffo (R-53), who represents parts of Central New York said he favors tougher penalties for violence in a healthcare workplace, but said he also favors a holistic approach, “Talking about what resources can be provided, what type of staffing needs have to be addressed, what type of facility changes can be done and supported, as well as consequences for that type of behavior.”

Image: More than 200 healthcare professionals attended a conference Thursday at Turning Stone Resort Casino to talk about workplace violence. (Randy Gorbman/New York Public News Network)