Connections: December 2023 - 10

Safe at work
In the face of growing concerns by healthcare
workers, a new Workplace Violence Task Force is
developing strategies to help Dartmouth Health
employees feel safer, respond more effectively
and get the support they need.
Carol Barsky, MD, Dartmouth Health's Chief Quality and Value
On October 31, in a conference room at Cheshire Medical
Center, leaders from across Dartmouth Health met for the
first time as the Workplace Violence Task Force. Facilitated by
Project Leaders Otelah Perry, Senior Director of Quality, Safety
and Compliance at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center,
and Richard Mello, Director of Safety and Security for DHMC,
the meeting served as a kick-off to a group charged with setting
standards for how our health system will prevent, respond to
and reduce workplace violence behaviors and conditions that
potentially endanger our employees. The attendees represented
a cross-section of departments who are deeply committed to
getting this right.
Leaders from security, quality and safety, facilities, human resources,
nursing, communications, psychiatry, professional development,
analytics, operations, risk management, emergency medicine,
environmental health and safety, supply chain, pediatrics, diversity and
inclusion, patient transport, training, and the Value Institute will now
begin the process of applying their collective expertise to create a
consistent, system-wide approach to workplace violence prevention.
Officer, said at the meeting, " We want our facilities to be calm,
peaceful and healing places for patients, family members and
staff. This is an interdisciplinary group representing many areas of
operations and care. We have the opportunity to learn from each
other and learn from the rest of the country, to learn new skills and
ways of addressing the issue. "
Workplace violence against healthcare workers is increasing in
prevalence both nationally and at Dartmouth Health. Leaders of
the Task Force have identified that workplace violence significantly
impacts employee engagement and retention. Like any problem
of this magnitude, Dartmouth Health is interested in developing a
comprehensive common strategy and approach to address it. This
means gathering complete, system-wide data on the scope of the
challenge, and then implementing policies, procedures, training and
equipment that will lead to efficient use of resources and improved
response times. Most importantly, this will result in decreased injury
and improved safety for employees.
" We need to make a commitment that we as a system can get better,
and we have to make those changes, " said Task Force Project Leader
Rich Mello, director of Safety and Security for Dartmouth Health.
Dartmouth Health has many workplace violence initiatives already
in place, such as the AVADE® Workplace Violence Prevention Training
program piloted in 2020 and now assigned to all Dartmouth Health
staff as a yearly training. But the task force's scope is to create
consistency across the system in all of the areas they are charged
to address. Working groups are now in the process of developing
consensus on violence prevention interventions.
" Our teams will build upon what is working well within the health
system and integrate best practices from healthcare and other
industries, " Perry said.
The task force will be continuing
its work for the next few months,
with a goal to execute strategies
as early as February 2024.
Above: Workplace Violence Task
Force project leader Otelah Perry
leads a discussion during the
group's first meeting.
Left: The group's work will be focused
on identifying barriers and
developing and implementing
solutions to improve employee safety.
Watch a video of the Vermont
Association of Hospitals and Health
Systems' Workplace Violence Summit
on February 21, 2023, featuring
three nurses who have experienced
violence in the workplace and how it
has affected their lives and careers,
including Jill Maynard, RN, Emergency
Department director of Nursing
at SVMC, and Marc Sacco, Clinical
Resource supervisor at Mt. Ascutney
Hospital and Health Center.
https://youtu.be/eNxI9XChRxE?si=JWs_DDSNRsBb4XKp
Connections: December 2023

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