Vermont system adopts zero-tolerance policy on violence against staff
Southwestern Vermont Health Care has debuted a new policy to prevent aggressive and violent behavior toward its healthcare staff, the Bennington, Vt.-based system said Feb. 2. Like many hospitals across the nation, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center has seen an increase in the proportion of staff reporting violent behavior from patients and visitors.
Since 2021, 61 percent of medical and nursing staff at the hospital have reported physically aggressive behavior, and 49 percent have reported verbal abuse. The new policy has been posted throughout Southwestern Vermont Medical Center's campus, making clear that it will not tolerate "threatening language, foul language, sexual comments, physical violence or inappropriate touching."