As you well know, violence against emergency physicians and other ED staff, whether verbal or physical assault, is an all-too-common occurrence and has long been an occupational hazard, and only continues to get worse. Health care workers account for approximately 50% of all victims of workplace assaults, and even though we are regularly exposed to verbal and physical abuse, these reported rates don’t show the full picture.

How You Can Help

We need your help to encourage your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative to cosponsor the bipartisan “Save Healthcare Workers Act” (H.R. 3178/S. 1600) to establish federal criminal penalties for violence against emergency physicians, nurses, and other health care workers, while providing important guardrails for patients experiencing acute psychiatric episodes or suffering from effects related to substance use disorders.

The bill is sponsored by Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-IA) in the House, and Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Angus King (I-ME) in the Senate.

The bipartisan legislation takes critical steps to address emergency department violence by establishing federal legal penalties for individuals who knowingly and intentionally assault or intimidate health care workers. It is modeled after protections that currently exist for aircraft and airport workers, such as flight crews and attendants, whose exposure to violence and assault from unruly passengers has been extensively and publicly documented in recent years.

Congress needs to swiftly consider this bill to help protect emergency physicians and our colleagues in the emergency department. The more cosponsors on the bill, the more likely that Congress will consider it a priority this year. 

If possible, please add a personal story about an attack or injury you or a colleague experienced, the aftermath of violence in the emergency department, and the impact on patients and access to care in your message to legislators.