(May 8, 2026) – Health care professionals dedicate their lives to caring for others during some of life's most difficult moments. Yet increasingly, those same caregivers are facing violence, threats and trauma in the workplace. As we celebrate National Nurses Week, May 6-12, it is especially important to acknowledge not only the compassion and expertise nurses bring to patient care every day, but also the challenges they face while doing this work.
Last week, more than 125 health care professionals, safety leaders, researchers and frontline caregivers participated in the Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council's Workplace Violence Prevention Collaborative virtual symposium, "From Awareness to Action: Preventing and Responding to Violence in Health Care Settings." The event brought together voices from across the region to discuss strategies to prevent workplace violence and to support health care teams after incidents occur.
The conversations throughout the symposium reinforced an important reality: workplace violence in health care is not an isolated issue. It impacts staff well-being, contributes to burnout and affects workforce retention across the health care continuum.
One of the strongest themes from the event was the importance of meaningful support after an incident. Participants emphasized that staff members need genuine, coordinated follow-up after experiencing workplace violence or other traumatic events. One organization shared that employee satisfaction with post-incident response improved significantly after assigning one individual to oversee follow-up support and coordination, rather than making it a shared responsibility across multiple departments. That consistency and human connection mattered.
The symposium also highlighted the emotional and operational toll workplace violence takes on health care teams. Shelly Farnan, PsyD, chief wellness officer for the University of Missouri School of Medicine, discussed the human cost of workplace violence and the lasting effects these incidents have on caregivers and organizations alike.
Jason Grellner, vice president of health care at Evolv, shared extensive data demonstrating the connection between workplace violence, the spillover of domestic violence into the workplace and the workforce challenges facing health care organizations today. His presentation underscored how these incidents contribute to staff fatigue, emotional exhaustion and professionals leaving the health care field altogether.
Panel discussions and networking roundtables reinforced that there is no single solution. Preventing workplace violence requires a layered, multidisciplinary approach encompassing leadership engagement, staff education, environmental safety measures, communication strategies and post-incident support systems.
Several policy themes also consistently emerged throughout the discussions, such as efforts to:
- Establish assault on a health care worker as a criminal offense; and
- Provide protections for health care workers pursuing charges, including allowing facilities to initiate charges on behalf of affected individuals.
These conversations are especially timely during National Nurses Week. Nurses are often on the front lines of health care, providing not only clinical expertise, but also emotional support, advocacy and reassurance for patients and families. They deserve work environments that are physically and emotionally safe.
At the Kansas Hospital Association, we remain committed to supporting efforts that strengthen workplace safety, protect health care workers and foster environments where caregivers can continue delivering compassionate, high-quality care.
As we celebrate Nurses Week, we also recognize our shared responsibility to ensure health care professionals feel supported, valued and safe in the workplace. KHA encourages our members to recognize nurses who have made a difference by expressing gratitude in person or on social media using #ThePowerOfNurses and #NursesWeek2026.
If workplace violence prevention is an area of interest for your organization, network or region, we encourage you to let KHA know. Continued collaboration, shared learning and open dialogue will be critical as we work together to create safer environments for health care workers across Kansas.
--Chad Austin