Two democrat lawmakers from central Ohio are lending their support to the Wexner Medical Center nurses unions, following the assault of a nurse at their hospital. Credit: Lantern File Photo
Two democrat lawmakers from central Ohio are lending their support to the Wexner Medical Center nurses unions call for better workplace safety following a physical altercation at the hospital involving a nurse and the father of a child.
In a joint letter addressed to Wexner Medical Center board members, state Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, and Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, urged the members to implement safety protocols supported by a majority of the nursing staff, described as “clear, coordinated action plans to protect patients and staff during violent incidents and permanent security in high-risk units.”
In addition, the letter asks the hospital to “seriously consider the ongoing concern of workplace violence experienced by hospital staff.”
The Lantern reached out to Wexner Medical Center staff for comment, but did not receive a response prior to publication.
Per prior Lantern reporting, the Wexner stated on Nov. 6, a male visitor at the center, who was holding a newborn, was “engaging in disruptive behavior,” to which a postpartum nurse tried to secure the baby but had her shirt collar pulled by the man. The baby was released unharmed and was evaluated in the emergency department.
The Ohio Nurses Association said the hospital is undermining the nurses’ experience. In a rally demanding the center to make similar changes to DeMora and Russo’s, the union is claiming the nurse was strangled and dragged 60 feet by the father, per prior Lantern reporting.
DeMora and Russo’s letter states that, in general, workplace violence in hospitals has been a growing concern. The center has reported 402 violent incidents in 2024 with the majority of them assaults committed against hospital employees, according to the letter.
The letter suggests Ohio State leadership can address protecting staff if it preserves relevant security camera footage and incident reports, reviews safety protocols, increases security in the postpartum unit, restricts assailants from Ohio State’s facilities and works with the nursing staff and their union on workplace violence prevention measures.
The letter states the importance of a “strong and collaborative” relationship between the nursing staff and administration in order to keep the center a high-standard provider, as the “role of nurses providing high-quality patient care is irreplaceable.”
DeMora stated in the press release that his love for the university doesn’t undermine the treatment of its nurses.
“Our nurses are absolutely essential and need to be able to fully focus on providing the best possible care to their patients,” DeMora said. “I hope Ohio State implements both of the unions’ common-sense and demands.”
In the press release, Russo said his concern with workplace violence extends beyond the Nov. 6 incident, arguing that nurses should feel safe and supported in their workplace environments they “devote so much to.”
“This is just one in a long line of incidents of workplace violence that health care workers experience nearly every day, and this violence is only rising,” Russo said. “We need to make worker protections a top priority, especially in health care settings. We owe it to these essential workers to ensure that the workplaces they step into each day are safe, supportive, and worthy of the service they provide.”
