Save Healthcare Workers Act would be a first for health care workers at the federal level
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Violence in the emergency department has reached epidemic levels, and emergency nurses are particularly vulnerable. Although health care workers are just 10 percent of the national workforce, they account for 48 percent of missed workdays due to assault.
While many states have passed laws over the past decade to increase penalties for violence against health care workers, there is currently no federal law that protects hospital employees from assault or intimidation.
That would change under a new bill introduced on May 5. The Save Healthcare Workers Act (H.R. 3178/S. 1600), introduced by Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., would allow federal authorities to charge those who assault hospital personnel with a federal crime. The penalties could be increased by certain aggravating factors such as the use of a deadly or dangerous weapon.
“For many emergency department nurses, violence seems to be an accepted part of the job and that shouldn’t be the case. Nurses are there to help others, not become patients themselves,” said ENA President Ryan Oglesby, PhD, MHA, RN, CEN, CFRN, NEA-BC. “ENA is unwavering in its commitment to ensure that all emergency nurses feel safe and supported while at work.”
For years, ENA has also prioritized another bill to help keep health care workers safe at work.
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 2531 and S. 1232) was also recently reintroduced by Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc. This bill would require the Department of Labor, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to issue a national standard related to workplace violence in health care and social service settings.
This would result in hospitals developing and implementing workplace violence prevention plans, which, when appropriately implemented, have been shown to reduce the severity of workplace violence incidents, enhance nurses’ ability to cope and even reduce the incidence of workplace violence.
Workplace violence has long been a top priority for ENA, which supported similar bills introduced over the last decade. In 2019, ENA and the American College of Emergency Physicians united to launch the No Silence on ED Violence campaign focused on raising awareness about the issue and providing emergency nurses and physicians with relevant resources.
About the Emergency Nurses Association
The Emergency Nurses Association is the premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing through advocacy, education, research, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA has proven to be an indispensable resource to the global emergency nursing community. With nearly 45,000 members worldwide, ENA advocates for patient safety, develops industry-leading practice standards and guidelines, and guides emergency health care public policy. ENA members have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness, and all aspects of emergency care. Additional information is available at www.ena.org.
ENA Media Contact:
Morgan Wietecha
Media Relations Strategist
847.460.4038
[email protected]
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SOURCE Emergency Nurses Association
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