Update: In June, 2020 Healthcare workers’ advoacy got this bill passed! The following is an email that went to SEIU Healthcare PA members to announce this victory:
Dear Union member
A caregiver and member of our union was stalked and harassed online, and members of her family targeted, when her patient’s family got angry and targeted her.
Unfortunately, stories like this aren’t rare. Serious incidents of workplace violence are four times more likely in healthcare than any other industry. And requiring first and last name on an ID badge makes it really easy to find healthcare workers online.
Well, today I have some great news to share. The PA legislature just passed a bill that will keep this from happening.
The photo ID badge bill that passed today removes the requirement for us to put our last names on our badges. And it’s all because of OUR advocacy!
Earlier this year I was one of many union members who went to Harrisburg to ask legislators to write and pass this bill. We shared our stories about being stalked on Facebook, our families being identified and harassed, and even former patients showing up at our homes. We let them know that having our last names prominently displayed makes it too easy for ill-intentioned individuals to find us.
I learned that passing a bill isn’t easy, but if we put our minds to it we can make it happen! It took meetings, emails, phone calls, and making sure they know that we all vote! Because of our advocacy and political strength, this bill is now on it’s way to Governor Wolf’s desk to become law.
There are so many issues important to healthcare workers that are ultimately decided by laws and legislation like safety, staffing, or our right to a strong union. We are doing so much for healthcare workers and the people of our state.
-Lyric Warren, Receptionist at Chambersburg Hospital
Original post:
I got into healthcare because I like to help people. As a Registration Receptionist at Chambersburg Hospital, I help people by being lighthearted and calm in an emergent and hard time in patients’ lives. I find great satisfaction in playing this comforting role, but tensions can run high, and I believe we need improvements to keep all caregivers safe.Â
Healthcare workers are four times more likely to experience workplace violence than any other industry. We find ourselves victims of violence, stalking, and harassment by the very people to whom we provide care. Current law requires that we display our first and last names on our badges, which makes it easy for individuals to target us. Luckily, lawmakers in Pennsylvania are considering a bill, HB1880, that would change that.
This bill is important to me because I care about people’s safety. With just my first name, a patient found me on social media minutes after checking them in. The resources that social media gives people is immense and with a full name displayed, anyone’s information can be found. This accessibility makes me feel vulnerable because it makes me more susceptible to violence and stalking.Â
Through my union (SEIU Healthcare PA), I found out about HB1880 and went to Harrisburg to speak with legislators about how important this bill is. My union provides information I need to be a voice to advocate for better, safer hospitals.
I work in the ER, so I have witnessed a lot of violence — whether it be from family or friends of patients, or from behavioral health patients. Day to day, we don’t know what to expect and having our full name on our badges makes us even more vulnerable. I hope that our elected leaders will pass this bill to keep me and my coworkers safer.