Usually November is DEER hunting season but it seems that this month, it's open season on nurses too......
For Immediate Press Release
The New York State Nurses Association
Contact: Mark Genovese: 518.782.9400, ext. 353
mark.genovese@nysna.org
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Hospital workplace is too violent, say nurses
When will administrators listen?
NEW YORK, Nov. 24, 2003 – Horrifying attacks on New York-area Registered Nurses in this past month have prompted the state’s leading nurses union to issue an urgent call for better protections against workplace violence.
“RNs have been warning hospital administrators for some time that the health care workplace is dangerous,” said Lorraine Seidel, director of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) Economic & General Welfare Program. “What will it take before someone will listen?”
Recent attacks include:
* An RN at Montefiore Medical Center’s Einstein Division in the Bronx was nearly choked by a patient on November 20.
* An emergency room nurse at Montefiore’s Moses Division was stabbed in the arm by a patient on November 2.
* A nurse at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn was held captive for 30 minutes by a patient who held scissors to her throat on November 19. Two other RNs and a nurses’ aide have also been attacked there within the past few months.
* A Registered Nurse at Mount Vernon Hospital in Westchester County was dragged around the emergency room by a disturbed patient and nearly choked to death on November 14.
Unfortunately, workplace violence against Registered Nurses is all too common. For every attack that makes the news, there are many more that are not reported.
“NYSNA has been hearing more and more often from our members about violent incidents,” Seidel said, “so there’s been a need to get a solid account of the extent of this problem.” As a result, NYSNA has been conducting a statewide survey on workplace violence, asking RNs to document incidents of violence and threatening behaviors. (The results are being brought before the state legislature in Albany).
Nationwide, more than 400,000 nurses are subject to violent acts each year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. National studies have indicated that staff shortages are directly related to an increased risk of violence on a nursing unit. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, safety precautions are an important responsibility of the employer.
Insufficient staffing, overcrowding, and service cutbacks are causing patients to wait longer for care, and increasing stress as a result. Many facilities that handle patients with psychiatric difficulties lack the necessary security.
“These terrible events are evidence that hospitals cannot continue to force their employees to work under such conditions,” Seidel said. “The need for better staffing and security has never been more urgent.”
Take a few moments to complete the Workplace Violence Survey and add your voice
http://www.nysna.org/programs/pract...ence_survey.htm
NYSNA, with more than 34,000 members, is New York’s largest union and professional association for Registered Nurses. NYSNA is the only organization that exclusively represents the interests of New York State’s RNs, and is recognized nationwide as a trendsetter in improving RNs’ wages and working conditions. NYSNA works to advance the nursing profession through collective bargaining and legislative activities, and fosters high standards of nursing education and practice. It is a constituent of the American Nurses Association and of the United American Nurses, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
http://www.NYSNA.org >>>
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