SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – A rise of patient aggression and stress in hospitals, and other care facilities, has healthcare leaders talking about how to better address the mental health of healthcare workers.

It’s something emergency room staff like John Spire, clinical nursing manager of Mercy’s Emergency Department, never thought he’d have to deal with.

“I think one of the things I never anticipated as a nurse or as a leader was the number of death threats and violent statements that come in for our staff,” said Spire. “This morning, I was punched and spit on, as well as some of my other staff members, while trying to work with a patient to get them the appropriate level of care.”

It’s a shocking reality for many healthcare workers: a rise in violent aggression from patients. In September alone, Mercy says it saw 14 cases of patient aggression, whether it be verbal or physical, up 50 percent from the last year. Leaders like Kim Tilley, president of Patient Care Services at Mercy, say there are likely even more than that.

“So even though our numbers have risen, we still believe more violence is happening than what is actually reported,” said Tilley.

It’s a staggering crisis, something Spire says puts strain on the mental health of bedside staff.

“I would say it’s a burden to have that placed on our co-workers. Anyone who comes to work shouldn’t anticipate being beat up, shouldn’t anticipate being verbally or physically threatened,” said Spire.

That’s why there’s a shift in focus on the mental health of our healthcare workers here in the Ozarks.

According to leaders at both CoxHealth and Mercy, they’re increasing what they offer to healthcare workers.

“Essentially, there are therapy sessions and coaching sessions, meditations, that folks have access to, that CoxHealth pays for our employees and their families,” said Heather Hardinger, director of consumer experiences at CoxHealth.

Hardinger says there’s been an increase in the usage of mental health services offered by CoxHealth.

“We’re upwards of about 20 percent of our employees that are using the services, which is really great. So I love that modern health meets us where we are. Folks can go in person to see someone they can do virtual therapy. The care is culturally responsive,” said Hardinger.

It’s something Mercy is working on as well.

“A couple of things we’ve done here at Mercy to better support or bedside staff is we’ve implemented a leader support program where the co-workers’ leader is reaching out to them and making sure they’re personally making a connection, and offering our support resources, which include employee assistance program. And then we also offer Chaplain services for each and every one of those events,” said Tilley.

Mercy and CoxHealth both say this is something critical to focus on, especially since healthcare workers are caring for others.

“Our employees are essentially caregivers. So whether you are working on the front lines as a doctor or a nurse or you’re working in a support profession, we’re caregivers in healthcare,” said Hardinger. “It’s about making sure that we have our needs taken care of while we’re taking care of other people. And in a fast-paced environment, like healthcare, I think it’s so important that organizations like ours pour into our employees.”

“As a whole, as a person, they have to be healthy and able to take care of themselves before they’re able to care for anyone else. So they have to be that first priority,” said Tilley.

Something that healthcare workers like Spire say is crucial as well.

“We also have a group called Encourage, where you can reach out to co-workers on the team just to have someone to talk to and listen,” said Spire. “Also, be able to be vulnerable and say, hey, I’m really struggling with X, Y, and Z. So offering those pieces to our co-workers was something that I’m very happy Mercy does for us.”

Spire also wants to remind patients to stay calm as they wait for care.

“When you come in to seek treatment, we’ll be more than happy to do so, but please be patient with us. Please respect all of our co-workers who are here who are doing their best job possible to take care of you,” said Spire.

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