Workplace Violence Prevention in Hospitals: SSM Health’s United Front
Workplace violence prevention in health care has become one of the most urgent priorities for hospitals and health care systems nationwide. Rising incidents threaten not only the safety of health care staff but also the well-being of patients and their families.
At SSM Health, a health care system in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, leaders are confronting this challenge with a comprehensive, team-based hospital safety program that integrates staff training, facility design improvements and leadership commitment.
In a recent conversation on the AHA’s Advancing Health podcast, Jordan Steiger, senior program manager for clinical affairs and workforce for the AHA, spoke with SSM Health’s Amy Wilson, chief nurse executive, and Todd Miller, vice president of security, about the strategies that are making their facilities safer for everyone.
A Team Approach to Hospital Safety
Many health care organizations traditionally assign workplace violence prevention to the security or facilities department. SSM Health takes a different path — embedding security directly into the culture of patient care.
“The magic at SSM Health is the fact that we have taken a fully integrated approach to thinking about safety, security, and workplace violence prevention,” said Wilson. “Our clinical team believes that our security team is an integral part of taking great care of our patients, families, and communities every single day.”
Miller recalled his first meeting with Wilson. “Within two weeks of her joining the organization, she asked, ‘How can I support you and your team?’ That high level of support from the top down set the tone for everything we’ve accomplished.”
Recognizing the Rising Threat of Workplace Violence in Health care
Health care workers face a much higher risk of assault than workers in other industries, and that risk is growing.
“When I joined SSM Health 10 years ago, workplace violence incidents were rare,” Miller explained. “By around 2015, we started seeing more incidents, and by 2017–2018, the curve started going up almost exponentially. We knew we had to get proactive.”
Wilson has seen the same trend elsewhere. “There used to be a respect for the role of health care providers. In recent years, we’ve seen that change. The polarization and lack of empathy we feel in society now walk through our hospital doors, often at a time when people are already vulnerable and stressed.”
“Unfortunately, hospitals — like schools and churches — are no longer untouchable spaces. That shift affects everyone inside,” Steiger responded.
Training Together: Building Confidence and Readiness
One of SSM Health’s most effective strategies is interdisciplinary hospital staff safety training — clinical staff and security teams train together to prepare for real-life scenarios.
“When something happens — not if, but when — teams know how to respond together,” said Wilson. “That includes de-escalation, but also how to stay safe if violence occurs.”
The training also integrates trauma-informed care in hospitals and self-regulation techniques. Wilson says this helps staff manage their own emotions while considering what the aggressor might be experiencing.
“Our care teams and security teams tell us they feel 93% more capable of dealing with a violent situation than they ever have before,” Wilson noted. “Those results are astronomical.”
Miller adds that the program’s design was critical. “We moved away from the old ‘one-and-done’ eight-hour class. Now, we train in smaller, more frequent sessions so people actually remember the skills when it counts.”
Designing Hospital Spaces for Security
Facility design plays a critical role in workplace violence prevention in health care.
“Our hospitals were built for convenience, not security,” said Miller. “We’re now dealing with what I call ‘sins of the architectural past’ — open campuses, multiple access points. The challenge is to harden the site while still making it convenient for patients.”
SSM Health is now applying principles of crime prevention through environmental design . That means rethinking entrances, controlling access and adding weapons detection in hospitals.
“When we implemented weapons detection in high-risk areas like emergency departments, it was staggering what we found,” Miller said. “Not just firearms — screwdrivers, pepper spray, anything that could be used as a weapon.”
Using Advocacy to Amplify Protection Efforts
Beyond internal strategies, the AHA is advocating for broader protections for health care workers through initiatives like the Save Healthcare Workers Act, which seeks to make assaulting hospital staff a federal crime similar to protections for airline workers.
The Hospitals Against Violence (HAV) initiative shares best practices, resources, and awareness campaigns like #HAVhope, which establishes June 6 as a national day of awareness to end violence in hospitals and communities.
Health care leaders can also explore the AHA Workforce and Workplace Violence Prevention resource hub for comprehensive strategies, tools, and case studies from hospitals across the country.
Finally, the AHA’s Building a Safe Workplace and Community: Framework for Hospitals and Health Systems offers a detailed, actionable roadmap for integrating safety into every level of hospital operations — from leadership and facility planning to staff culture and community partnerships.
Key Takeaways for Health Care Leaders
Steiger closed the conversation with a reminder for other health care organizations: “This isn’t about one program or one department — it’s about a culture shift.”
Lessons from SSM Health’s experience:
- Involve the whole team. Prevention is everyone’s responsibility.
- Train consistently. Skills fade without regular practice.
- Redesign spaces strategically. The physical environment can deter violence.
- Support policy and advocacy efforts. Internal measures should align with national protections.