State investigates violence against nurses at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

SEATTLE — The state is investigating claims that Seattle nurses are being attacked by the people they work to help.

Nurses at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health report the hospital isn't doing enough to prevent the violence, and they're demanding action. The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) filed a complaint Friday with the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) requesting a comprehensive investigation into workplace violence against nurses, calling into question the hospital’s violence prevention and record keeping practices.

“To take basic industry-standard precautions: visitor registration, weapons detection, the use of dogs,” stated Pamela Chandran, labor counsel to the WSNA.