Arizona VA Medical Center Cited for Failing to Protect Health Care Workers From Violence

The Arizona state line, in this file photo. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Federal investigators have determined, for the second time, that a VA Medical Center in the Northern Arizona VA Health System has failed to adequately protect its employees from patient-inflicted violence.

According to a July 2 press release from the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a fresh investigation was launched after a complaint last December about a resident who was “aggressive and violent” at the Bob Stump VA Medical Center in Prescott.

Investigators say the medical center exposed nurses, nursing assistants and housekeeping staff to patient violence and failed to protect health care workers from residents who kicked, bit, struck, punched, slapped and sexually harassed them. Accompanying the report findings, OSHA says it had already cited that center in 2019 for similar violations.

“The failure of the Bob Stump VA Medical Center to prevent the same dangers that existed in 2019 is troubling,” OSHA Area Director Zachary Barnett said. “The facility’s management must take immediate action to better protect its employees from workplace violence before someone is seriously hurt or even killed in an incident that they could have prevented.”

He said public “health care industry workers encounter workplace violence up to four times more often than people employed in private industry.”

According to OSHA, Executive Order 12196 requires federal agencies to comply with the same safety and health standards as the private sector, which adhere to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Both require employers to provide employees with an environment free from recognized hazards.

Federal agencies are exempt from OSHA violations and penalties. In this case, the penalty could have reached $161,323 had the facility been privately run. Generally, federal agencies are issued notices of unsafe and unhealthful working conditions and are required to demonstrate they have taken steps to address the hazards.

In a widely shared media statement, a spokesperson for the Northern Arizona VA Health System said officials appreciate OSHA’s oversight and are working to provide the safest environment possible for employees.

The spokesperson said workplace violence is a known hazard when caring for patients with conditions such as advanced dementia, and every effort is made to protect staff, including a workplace violence prevention program and a commitment to add more safety improvements.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Northern Arizona VA Health System for further comment.