Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | June 2, 2025 | wbjournal.com Every 36 minutes Amid rising rates of abuse, Central Mass. health- care providers are pushing state legislation to make hospitals safer for workers BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer S teve Walsh, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, delivered a grim message during an April legislative session: every 36 minutes a Massachusetts hospital worker faces either an act of violence or threat. at frequency is up two minutes from when workers were exposed to physical assaults, verbal abuse, or threats every 38 minutes in 2022, every 49 minutes in 2021, and every 57 minutes in 2020, according to MHA data. "e risk of harassment is constant," said Elise Wilson, former nurse at UMa- ss Memorial Health - Harrington Hospi- tal in Southbridge. "We are the front line to everything that's going wrong in their life. at's the problem." In 2017, Wilson was brutally assault- ed by a patient while working a shi at the Southbridge hospital. Her assailant, Conor O'Regan, used a knife brought from home to stab her between five and six times during a routine intake, causing 11 stab wounds to Wilson's face, neck, and le arm. While she survived the near-fatal attack, Wilson was never able to return to nursing due the partial loss of function in her le hand. She has since traveled throughout the country, speaking about the reality of workplace hospital violence and advocating for legislation to protect workers against the assaults and abuse. Yet, eight years later, the issue has only gotten worse. "You can't spend a week in any hospital without hearing about a healthcare worker receiving either verbal assault or physical attempt at assault by patients. It truly is a crisis," said Rozanna Penney, president and CEO of Heywood Healthcare in Gardner. MHA, the Massachusetts Nurses As- sociation labor union, and the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East labor union are collectively pushing state legis- lation to increase assault charges against healthcare workers to a felony level while implementing mandatory hospital programs to decrease workplace violence, create violence prevention programming, and support those assaulted on the job. A cultural shift While hospital workplace assault is not a new issue, it has become acutely worse over the past few years, said Erin Proudman, senior director of emergency pre- paredness, safety, and transportation services at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worces- ter, the largest hospital in Central Massachusetts. Long wait times to be triaged into the emergency room and then admitted into a hospital bed have proven to be major trig- gers of violence as of late, Proudman said. e COVID-19 pandemic brought on a mass exodus of healthcare work- ers, with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing reporting an estimated 100,000 registered nurses le the field during the height of COVID. Compounded by sicker patients showing up to ERs having postponed care during the pandemic and a lack of step-down care facilities, the workforce shortage has contributed to longer ER waits. Additionally, the closure of hospi- tals in the state, such as Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, have exacerbated these issues. "It's a very high stress, high energy, loud environment and can oen cause individu- als to get overly stressed, and really, they're not in the environment that they should be getting cared for," said Proudman. With those increased wait- ing times, many patients don't seem to understand triage systems, said Penney. Hospitals admit patients based on the severity of their ailments, resulting in some being admitted far before those who have been waiting longer. Penney said patients' lack of understanding of this system can be extremely upsetting to individuals, who then act out in violent attacks or verbal harassment. Furthermore, Wilson said a broad- er cultural shi is in part to blame for increased rates of violence. "Go to the grocery store the day before anksgiving, and everybody's scream- ing and yelling at the cashiers," she said. "at's not their fault that there's so many people there. Did you really think you were going to be the only one there?" is wasn't how things used to be, she said. Wilson sees the anger people express, whether it's in the grocery store line or during a bout of road rage, has very much seeped into hospital. Additionally, as medical knowledge has become more accessible through the internet, she said more people are com- ing into the hospital thinking they know what is wrong and what they need for treatment. When that differs from what their nurse or doctor tells them, many can quickly become agitated. While Wilson observes men, ages 20 through 50, to be the main perpe- trators of intentional violent assaults in the hospital, when it comes to those experiencing mental health issues, all ages can be aggressors. "We've had kids in their teens that Rozanna Penney, president and CEO of Heywood Healthcare Elise Wilson, former nurse at UMass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital Erin Proudman, senior director of emergency preparedness, safety, and transportation services at UMass Memorial Medical Center PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT In this June 2024 photo, Teresa Decalles participates in a first-year registered nurse program at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Throughout the state, a hospital worker is the victim of abuse every 36 minutes, with nurses and emergency department workers most at risk.

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