Newly released data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) and prepared by the Harborview Injury and Prevention Research Center (HIPRC) at the University of Washington School of Medicine quantifies the substantial financial resources that hospitals and health systems spend on preventing and responding to violence in their facilities and communities annually. According to the report, the total financial cost of violence to hospitals in 2023 was estimated at $18.27 billion, which includes the costs associated with care treatment for victims of healthcare workplace violence, security staffing, violence prevention programs/training, and other pre- and post-violent event costs.
Some key report findings include:
- In the U.S., up to 76% of healthcare workers have reported experiencing violence, with over 80% experiencing verbal violence and 33% experiencing physical violence.
- Most spending is attributed to post-event costs for treating victims, infrastructure repairs, and staff productivity losses ($14.65 billion). Pre-event efforts to prevent or protect hospital workers from violent events were estimated to cost approximately $3.62 billion, resulting from policy, training, security, infrastructure, and equipment costs.
- This incidence of violence has significantly increased in the U.S. over the past decade, with rising rates of assault, homicide, suicide, and firearm violence, which were further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In 2022, an estimated 16,990 workers in hospitals had a violence-related nonfatal occupational injury or illness that required days away from work.
In addition to the financial burdens of violence on hospitals and healthcare workers, victims and witnesses of violence may experience psychological impacts that affect their well-being. These lasting impacts of violence often lead to lower workplace satisfaction and productivity, declines in workforce retention, and recruitment challenges, which further exacerbate the burden of violence on hospitals.
To reduce the threat of violence in American hospitals, the Healthcare Workforce Coalition supports the Save Healthcare Workers Act (H.R. 3178/S.1600). This bipartisan legislation would make it a federal crime to assault a hospital worker on the job, with penalties increasing for the use of weapons or infliction of bodily harm.
HWC encourages Congress to prioritize this legislation for the safety of our healthcare workforce and American patients.
To read the full AHA report, CLICK HERE.