Assembly Bill 2975 passed the California State Assembly unopposed earlier this month. The bill will soon be heard in the Senate. Supporters of the bill, including Union Registered Nurses and other Union healthcare workers will join elected officials to hold a press conference in front of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. Nurses who have worked at HPMC say that the facility faces numerous security threats—including incidents where weapons have been brought into the facility. Their experience is emblematic of the daily fears that nurses and other workers face while providing care in hospitals throughout the region and the state. On Friday, nurses will describe the threats that they face and the solution posed by AB 2975.

WHAT: Press conference to urge passage of AB 2975 (“Secure Hospitals for All”) to bolster security and improve safety for all who work at, visit, or are treated in California hospitals.

WHO: Members of SEIU 121RN, who work as Registered Nurses hospitals throughout Southern California, joined by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) and community allies,

WHEN: Friday, June 7 at 9:00 AM (media and attendees may check in beginning 8:30 AM)
For RSVP and additional info visit: bit.ly/s4a-j7

WHERE: Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, 1300 N. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Throughout California and the nation, healthcare professionals are reporting more and more incidents of workplace violence. This not only threatens the safety of patients and staff but creates an atmosphere of fear that adds an unnecessary burden to workers in already stressful jobs. Many such incidents could have been avoided if the location had been equipped with adequate safety equipment, such as metal detectors.

In June 2022, two nurses and a doctor were stabbed by a knife-wielding patient at Encino Hospital Medical Center, a tragedy which drew national headlines and prompted questions about the lack of security in our hospitals.

AB 2975 (“Secure Hospitals for All”), legislation introduced this year by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson), is designed to bolster security in California’s hospitals by requiring the installation of metal detectors at key points where weapons are known to enter facilities, including the main public entrance, as well as entrances to the Labor and Delivery and Emergency Departments. The bill also requires that hospitals utilize trained security officers—rather than healthcare workers—to conduct searches of patients’ belongings for contraband. Supporters of the bill say that these measures will be effective in reducing the potential for life-threatening workplace violence in hospitals, which has steadily increased in recent years.

“California’s hospitals must be safe places where patients can heal, not soft targets for those who would do harm,” said Assemblymember Gipson. They must be welcoming havens where families can visit their loved ones in their greatest time of need. As workplaces, hospitals must be free of the threat of violence, so that healthcare workers can focus on giving compassionate care.

AB 2975 can reduce or eliminate the presence of weapons in hospitals–making our hospitals safer and more secure for all,” Assemblymember Gipson said.

“No one should work in an environment where they must fear for their physical safety because of inadequate protections afforded to them by their employer,” said Rosanna Mendez, Executive Director of SEIU 121RN.

“Nurses and other workers on the frontlines of patient care face this fear on a daily basis, and it is often an obstacle to their ability to provide compassionate, quality care. Fear of workplace violence–including violence involving dangerous weapons–is one of the major factors driving nurses and other healthcare workers from the industry in record numbers.

This legislation offers a solution. By bolstering hospital security in a dedicated manner and regulating search and seizure policies that put nurses and other healthcare workers in harm’s way, AB2975 will make everyone who enters a hospital safer and more secure,” Mendez said.

“As a Nurse working on the Psych Unit of a busy urban hospital, I encounter weapons in patients’ possessions far too often,” said Brittany Brandon, a Registered Nurse working at Southern California Hospital Hollywood.

“Our patients often arrive in an agitated or confused state. Many of them are unhoused and carry bags full of their personal possessions. One misstep can lead toa disaster. In hospitals that lack metal detectors and security to staff them, the dangerous job of searching for weapons is left to nurses. It’s hard to focus on giving compassionate care when we’re fearing for our own safety,” Brandon said.