Nurses and union say St. Elizabeth's Hospital staff face daily assaults, call for more security and supplies

Summary

Nurses, union leaders and clinicians testified that St. Elizabeth's Hospital has an escalating level of violence and lacks adequate security, staffing and supplies as forensic admissions rise. They urged the Council to require safety investments and to scrutinize recent DBH staffing and budget changes.

Nurses, union leaders and frontline clinicians told the Committee on Health on May 30 that St. Elizabeth's Hospital is experiencing frequent, severe workplace assaults and material shortages and that the hospital’s staffing and security posture has not kept pace with a growing forensic population.

Nancy Boyd, president of the District of Columbia Nurses Association and a nurse educator at St. Elizabeth’s, said the hospital now averages “37 physical assaults each month — more than one assault every single day on our staff or the individuals in our care.” Boyd and other union witnesses described an increase in forensic patients admitted to the hospital and said management has not provided consistent, operational responses to recurrent violence.

“There's a lack of substantial action to address this escalating violence,” Boyd said. The union urged immediate investments including “increased…

Nurses and union say St. Elizabeth's Hospital staff face daily assaults, call for more security and supplies

Summary

Subscribe to keep reading