Multiple nurses attacked at MU Health since December
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
There have been multiple incidences where nurses at University Hospital and University Hospital Psychiatric Center were attacked.
Since December 2023, there were 3 reported attacks on nurses at the MU Psychiatric Center, according to online court records. According to the American Nurses Association, one in every four nurses in the United States reported being assaulted in the last year. That is about two nurses assaulted every hour nationwide.
On Dec. 15, Danielle Jensinger, a nurse, was attacked by a patient when he grabbed her hair and repeatedly slammed her head onto the ground, according to online court records.
"And I remember seeing the ground, like watching it happen and just kind of being like, what is going on right now? And, I have a three year old daughter at home and I just want to be her mom, you know? And I just kept thinking like, I don't even want to be here. I want to be at home with her," Jensinger said.
On Jan. 5, another nurse was attacked in the Psychiatric Center after a patient shoved her causing her to fall, according to online court records. She hit the back of her head and neck on a wooden bench, resulting in her experiencing several seizures.
The most resent attack came on Jan. 23, when a nurse was struck multiple times and kicked by a patient, according to online court records.
In 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that health care workers account for 73% of all violence-related nonfatal workplace injuries.
Since the start of COVID-19, the American Hospital Association states there has been an increase of violence in the healthcare field.
"The pandemic has placed significant stress on the entire health care system, and unfortunately, in some situations, patients, visitors and family members have attacked health care staff and jeopardized our workforce’s ability to provide care," reads the report from the American Hospital Association.
The American Hospital Association is pushing for federal law to protect healthcare workers. According to the report, 44% of nurses reported experiencing physical violence and 68% said they've experienced verbal abuse during the pandemic.
When asked about the attacks, University Hospital said "At MU Health Care, the safety of our patients and employees is our top priority. As the rates of violence against health care providers has increased across the country, MU Health Care continues to advance its workplace violence prevention and control program to promote a culture of safety and address incidents of aggression and violence."
MU Health Care said it implemented a Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) that uses nursing-led interventions to lessen the amount of physical workplace violence.
