Begley speaks out against workplace violence in AHA ad campaign

A radio ad from the American Hospital Association (AHA) currently running on ABC, CBS and Radio America spotlights the pandemic’s toll on the nation’s health care workforce, noting nearly 45% of nurses encountered physical violence and over two-thirds were victims of verbal abuse in early 2020. “We are experiencing quite literally a growing assault on our profession,” AHA Chief Nursing Officer and AONL CEO Robyn Begley, DNP, RN, said in the ad. “The women and men who dedicate themselves to saving lives deserve a safe and healthy practice environment, free of violence and intimidation.” In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the AHA urged the Department of Justice to support legislation that would give health care workers the same legal protections against assault and intimidation as flight crews and airport workers have under federal law. (AHA News article, 5/2/22)