AHA Supports H. Res. 909 Condemning Violence Against Health Care Workers

March 16, 2022

The Honorable Troy Carter
U.S. House of Representatives
506 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Carter:

On behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners — including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers — and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups, the American Hospital Association (AHA) is pleased to support your resolution, H. Res. 909, which condemns violence against health care workers and expresses support for health care personnel.

Hospitals and health care systems have long had robust protocols in place to detect and deter violence against their staff. Since the onset of the pandemic, however, violence against hospital employees has increased — and there is no sign it is receding. Day after day, the media reports about patients or family members physically or verbally abusing hospital staff. Data supports these news reports. Recent studies indicate, for example, that 44% of nurses reported experiencing physical violence and 68% reported experiencing verbal abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The escalation of violence in health care settings is of great concern to our member hospitals and health systems. Attacks on health care staff, whether by patients or visitors, result in serious harm and jeopardize our workforce’s ability to provide care.

We are grateful for your resolution; it underscores the urgency of the issue and emphasizes the importance of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of health care workers and their communities. The American Hospital Association stands ready to work with you to help secure passage of this resolution.

Sincerely,

/s/

Stacey Hughes
Executive Vice President