[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6104493,"mediaKeyId","2790753-31bcd90b4679c7c8add800a59b38a8ce","parentId",2790753,"title","Senate committee hears testimony on SB166 to develop workplace-violence metrics for hospitals","audioSeconds",1921,"startMs",624000,"endMs",2545000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2790753-31bcd90b4679c7c8add800a59b38a8ce&start=624&end=2545","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2790753-31bcd90b4679c7c8add800a59b38a8ce/thumbnail_624000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6104493/Colorado/Senate-committee-hears-testimony-on-SB166-to-develop-workplace-violence-metrics-for-hospitals","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104493-7d713f7ef9b44299f25605b4e35828a7/orig.mp4?Expires=1772593166&Signature=W2e8Nq84ScWJSZ7qPcwlKl5oX4uEiXwPVvQn-l2Q-qYXUTQhVUzEa416PPU4wy8YoKxXy8CPvjHjCoBhgjDTQ-YQXQkUZSNzkySVVEKxm~XjrTCwVadrifTJSeWtNXChMAPHPdstUuG4lASqbMynX5CuIa5ebMvW7scM4uRWteFRUD8-XveAga~xJCYnm2cPyYHztuPHpCsidgSjuhaWo-3qwvzi7Jew7yN6Y9KLWyh9WeNAUPIeiMZ1QwoKqEr5reBVEmdkhujey0fHXvfde9MZe~D-5cE5y6kD6bzDo33LMdj8K7dI8~-DZ8GVLHWrHo1ECMfahGAaBcxDeKKlTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Colorado Legislature","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Robert Mullica presented Senate Bill 166 to the Senate Health & Human Services Committee and the panel heard testimony from hospital systems, nursing organizations and consumer advocates in support of the bill’s two‑step approach to reducing workplace violence in health care settings.

SB166 would ask the state’s hospital quality incentive payment (HQIP) process and a stakeholder group to develop recommended metrics and strategies to reduce workplace violence and to determine whether federal or other funding could be used to incentivize hospital prevention policies. Proponents described the proposal as a “carrot”‑based strategy that would reward hospitals that adopt effective prevention policies rather than immediately increasing criminal penalties.

Senator Mullica said the bill aims first to add a workplace‑violence prevention policy metric to the HQIP component of the hospital provider fee program so hospitals could qualify for incentive payments by demonstrating concrete policies and actions. The second step creates a stakeholder convening to define workplace violence, identify evidence‑based metrics, and draft recommendations for future legislation.

Witnesses supporting the bill included Mark Longshore, executive director of the Colorado Nurses Association; Natalie Nicholson, chief nursing officer at Denver Health; Bridget Fraser, senior manager of public policy at the Colorado Hospital Association; Isabel Cruz, policy director for the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative; Danielle Schlafman, representing the Colorado Organization of Nurses; and Renee Shon, a UCHealth emergency‑department nurse and clinical quality specialist. Testimony emphasized that health care workers are at elevated risk for workplace violence and that consistent data collection and multi‑stakeholder collaboration are needed to design effective, evidence‑based interventions.

Natalie Nicholson said Denver Health sees a range of incidents and described local tracking: “We see an average of 8 physical assaults, 3 [sexual] assaults, 7 verbal threats, and 46 harassment” in the time frame she referenced. Other witnesses urged inclusion of patient advocates and people with lived experience in the stakeholder group and suggested extending the proposed timeline for metric development. The Colorado Hospital Association recommended allowing the existing HQIP subcommittee to perform this work with added stakeholder consultation and suggested lengthening the stakeholder timeline to one year to avoid fiscal impacts.

Committee members asked about other states’ approaches; Senator Mullica and witnesses said many states require workplace‑violence prevention policies but they did not find other states using the same incentive‑based model tied to HQIP. The committee left the amendment phase open and laid the bill over for action at a subsequent meeting, allowing more time for draft amendments and stakeholder comment.

Background: Testimony referenced federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) programs and the state HQIP process as models for using incentive payments to drive quality improvements in health care. Witnesses said HQIP paid approximately $128,000,000 to Colorado hospitals in the most recent year cited in testimony and recommended careful metric design and stakeholder inclusion to avoid unintended consequences such as underreporting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Health & Human Services [Mar 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senators heard broad support and amendment suggestions for Senate Bill 166, which would convene stakeholders to develop workplace-violence quality metrics for Colorado hospitals and explore using hospital quality incentives to encourage prevention policies.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature CO, Colorado","taxId",77676,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6104497,"Committee advances bill to extend confidentiality protections to peer support team members",502,92000,594000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2790753-31bcd90b4679c7c8add800a59b38a8ce&start=92&end=594","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2790753-31bcd90b4679c7c8add800a59b38a8ce/thumbnail_92000.jpg","/articles/6104497/Colorado/Committee-advances-bill-to-extend-confidentiality-protections-to-peer-support-team-members","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104497-f6f7020466c24e2b7e7e905a2074df2b/orig.mp4?Expires=1772593166&Signature=b~4BGNLwnUFQh~jwP0OfmVmRnjFWkpcsLfb51uvcZVzGFFa3CqdVyMNigM9XVTyct8PMtbJIswAR8wpB4UFLIjvvIt9thNdKTGCDGaPVg7Cd35s1vgsBXw4JTVxRIpdFZYF6nEEHURAcpXxX4R4r7usMMmTzY3~nPMpY-dT55ehUXwYVmBiqbYZuwqydzplJLJjfH29lOsz2ekEE1LIuyH22PXkA15xYL1CFy8nCQ5PzY5Nt8HrM00Kf4XN852RbWLoU5KAgLcU4xYZyjjRSo7L2qV3kI~~QbzA703HT-0tqT5tgCBHox0raxjpYtUZlznSJZA1uV--jOvIEbguk0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senators on the Senate Health & Human Services Committee voted to send House Bill 1087, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation and placed it on the consent calendar after adopting an amendment that clarifies who may be the subject of a reported threat.

The bill would add statutory confidentiality protections for communications made during peer support interactions, extending protections similar to an existing court-related confidentiality statute. Sponsors and witnesses said the change aims to preserve privacy so first responders and other public safety personnel will use peer support services without fear that private remarks will be disclosed.

The bill’s proponent, Jack Tigliani, a psychologist and the primary drafter of the bill, told the committee the draft supplements an existing statute governing confidentiality in the Colorado court system and would create a new provision identified in the draft as 12-31-25. “This confidentiality is so important that our police and fire agencies have tried to fill this gap through policy,” Tigliani said, describing decades of peer-support practice dating back to Fort Collins in 1986.

A co-sponsor said one pending amendment—adopted by the committee as Amendment L006—adds the phrase “and the individual who is subject of the threat” to the exception language that allows disclosure when a recipient makes a qualifying threat. That change was described by the sponsor as correcting language lost when text was moved between statutory articles.

No members of the public other than Tigliani testified. Committee members asked no substantive follow-up questions during the witness phase. After discussion the committee adopted Amendment L006, moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole as amended and, with no objection, placed House Bill 1087 on the consent calendar.

Background and context: Tigliani said the bill builds on a 2005 law (transcript reference to a court-related confidentiality statute) and aims to standardize statutory confidentiality for peer support interactions performed by a broad set of peer support team members, including teams that serve prosecutors, public defenders, emergency medical services, law enforcement and fire personnel. Witnesses and sponsors framed the change as intended to remove a barrier to accessing mental health and peer support services.

The committee did not take final action on the bill beyond sending it to the Committee of the Whole; placement on the consent calendar signals the committee’s intention for expedited floor consideration if the bill remains on consent.","The Colorado Senate committee advanced House Bill 1087 as amended to extend statutory confidentiality to peer support team interactions for public safety and emergency personnel; sponsors said the change is intended to preserve privacy and encourage use of support services.","actionData","errors"]

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Senate committee hears testimony on SB166 to develop workplace-violence metrics for hospitals

Committee advances bill to extend confidentiality protections to peer support team members