House passage of a healthcare violence prevention bill supported by MHA, MNA, and 1199SEIU is a major step forward in protecting the healthcare workforce

BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 19, 2025 – Nurses, healthcare workers, and hospital representatives across Massachusetts are celebrating a significant milestone in the effort to curb the growing crisis of violence in healthcare. An Act Requiring Health Care Employers to Develop and Implement Programs to Prevent Workplace Violence (H.4767/S.1718) has passed the Massachusetts House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 158-0 and now advances to the State Senate for consideration.

The legislation, developed through historic cooperation among the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA), the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), and 1199SEIU Massachusetts, represents a unified statewide commitment to addressing violence in hospitals and protecting frontline workers. While the groups had supported similar but separate proposals in previous sessions, this marks the first time that a single, consensus piece of workplace violence legislation has been proposed and advanced by the three organizations. The bill garnered substantial legislative support prior to its passage, with 68 sponsors. The lead sponsors are Representative John Lawn (D-Watertown) and Senator Joan Lovely (D-Salem).

Lawmakers’ support for the legislation reflects a growing recognition that the crisis of violence in healthcare can no longer be ignored. Every 36 minutes, a worker in a Massachusetts hospital is subject to an act of violence or a threat. Nurses and healthcare workers experience violent incidents at least five times more often than the average private sector worker.

“Our healthcare workforce has endured violence at alarming rates for far too long,” said Katie Murphy, a practicing ICU nurse and President of the Massachusetts Nurses Association. “This House vote is a powerful acknowledgment of the crisis and an important step toward ensuring every healthcare worker has the protection we need to safely care for our patients. We thank everyone who supported this legislation, especially the MNA nurses and healthcare professionals who have long fought for these safeguards, our partners at MHA and 1199SEIU, and the lawmakers who stood with us.”

“This legislation is about a basic promise we owe every frontline healthcare worker: a safe environment to treat patients in need of care,” said Steve Walsh, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA). “We are grateful for the House’s support as our hospitals, the MNA, and 1199SEIU continue to collaborate to stem the tide of the current workplace violence crisis — especially as our healthcare system remains under significant strain.”

“Workplace violence is a very real and serious problem for the entire care team,” said Cari Medina, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU.  “1199SEIU strongly supports this bill that will directly engage caregivers in developing facility-specific risk assessments and a comprehensive violence prevention program for hospitals. We thank Chair Lawn, Speaker Mariano and the full House for advancing this critical effort to make caregivers safer while strengthening the Commonwealth’s healthcare system.”

The bill features comprehensive policy reform designed to reduce workplace violence by:

• Requiring all hospitals to complete facility-specific risk assessments and implement comprehensive violence prevention programs tailored to those findings.
• Engaging frontline staff in developing assessments and prevention plans, ensuring workforce-informed training, and making written plans available to all employees and labor organizations.
• Strengthening enforcement through DPH licensing requirements, regular reporting, and enhanced job protections for workers, including additional paid leave for employees who are assaulted.

Massachusetts nurses and healthcare workers report high rates of being punched, kicked, bitten, and subject to verbal and physical threats on the job. Thousands of injuries occur annually, even as many incidents go unreported. Workforce shortages and strains, unstandardized security prevention and planning, and a lack of appropriate consequences all contribute to these unacceptably dangerous working conditions.