Nurses get spit on, kicked, assaulted. Stop hurting us. We are here to help you.
Health care workers are already vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure. We shouldn't have to worry about assaults and violence, too.
A physician friend shared a photo of a sign the staff posted in the hospital where she works. It warned readers: Do not assault us, we’re here to help you. A year ago, health care workers were being called heroes, but now they’re being attacked by the very people whose lives they’re trying to save.
As a nurse and a doctor, we need you to understand the epidemic of violence that’s raging in our hospitals right now, and what’s at stake if we don’t stop it.
In a hospital system in Georgia, where a patient grabbed a nurse by the wrist and kicked her in the ribs, officials said they dealt with violent assaults nearly twice a day in 2020. At a hospital in Missouri, staff members now have panic buttons attached to their badges to immediately alert security guards if they are being assaulted.