Violence Against Healthcare Workers and Staffing Shortages Fuel Hospital Strikes

KFF Health News reports that nurses in emergency departments are increasingly subjected to shoves, scratches and even bites from patients. According to the outlet, the wave of violence has helped fuel strikes in states such as Michigan, New York and Louisiana, where workers are pressing for higher wages and safer staffing ratios. The organization notes that hospital systems like Henry Ford Health have installed metal detectors, armed security and de‑escalation training, while the American Hospital Association is lobbying Congress to make assaults on health‑care workers a federal crime with penalties of up to ten years in prison.

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