The first Friday of June is the American Hospital Association’s #HAVhope Friday, a day organized by Hospitals Against Violence (HAV) to highlight the work hospitals and health systems across the nation are doing to build safe workplaces and communities for their employees.
This year, June 3 marks the sixth annual #HAVhope Friday and focuses on the healthcare industry’s continued work toward partnerships, innovations and creative thinking, all focused on workplace safety and respect.
In recent years, workplace violence against healthcare workers has been on the rise. According to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 2018 report, about 75 percent of nearly 25,000 reported annual workplace assaults occur in healthcare and social service settings.
"As a health system leader, I am impressed by the support Renown’s employees show one another. However, I know that it is my responsibility to protect our team. Renown Health has a zero tolerance for any person engaging in an intentional act that threatens the safety, health, life or well-being of another person,” said Dr. Thomas Graf, Renown Health CEO. “I encourage all patients and members of our community to support care providers by ensuring they feel safe at work.”
Renown Health has several systems in place to support and protect employees. For example, staff orientation includes classes to prepare employees to prevent and de-escalate verbal or physical abuse.
Renown also offers ongoing education to train staff to respond to violent situations. If an incident does occur, our violence prevention task force reviews incidents and ensures the impacted employees receive resources and counseling to help them process what has occurred.
