Allina nurses' frustration grows as workplace violence continues
MINNEAPOLIS — Attacks at Allina Health's Abbott Northwestern Hospital have led to more than $83,000 in fines over the past year.
"I've been personally assaulted myself, and in that, you never know that it's going to happen," said Anna Rabb, who is a part of the nurses union that's calling for more protection for healthcare workers on the job. "It's terrifying, and you don't want to come back to work."
The union tells data they received from OSHA shows 198 incidents of workplace violence at Allina Health's Abbott Northwestern Hospital in just the first five months of 2024. But Allina disagrees — saying in a statement:
"We do not know how the Minnesota Nurses Association arrived at its number and percentages of incidents. We can confirm that Abbott Northwestern Hospital serves approximately 1,500+ patients per day every day of the year, as well as family and community members present daily and has experienced 65 incidents of varying degrees of severity in the January-May 2024 time period. While any amount of violence is too much, Allina Health is constantly working to make its workplaces as safe as possible."
WCCO reached out to OSHA Investigators about the number of violent incidents, but did not hear back.
The nurses facing these problems say Allina's response is not enough.
"It's scary to face a violent situation and not feel supported," said ICU nurse Jessica Sherlock.
MNA is calling for more security at the hospital, in addition to a behavioral response team and mandatory training.
"The resources for staffing and support for patients needs to be where the patients are" said ICU nurse Kelley Hnaas. "I think until that happens, this is going to continue to get worse and you're going to see more nurses leaving".
