MNA: Healthcare Workers to Display 40 Medical Scrubs on State House Steps During Press Event Highlighting Daily Toll of Workplace Violence

WHERE:
Massachusetts State House Steps
24 Beacon Street
Boston, Massachusetts

WHAT:
Healthcare workers, labor leaders and members, hospital representatives, and patient advocates will gather at the Massachusetts State House to spotlight the growing crisis of workplace violence in healthcare settings and urge the Senate to action on pending workplace violence prevention legislation.

As part of the event, organizers will display 40 medical scrubs on clotheslines, representing the approximately 40 healthcare workers who experience physical or verbal violence each day in Massachusetts healthcare facilities. Each scrub top will also feature a message from a healthcare worker who has been a victim of workplace violence.

According to recent survey data, a Massachusetts healthcare worker is subjected to workplace violence every 36 minutes. Healthcare workers experience violence at a rate significantly higher than most other professions.

The event will call on lawmakers to pass An Act Requiring Health Care Employers to Develop and Implement Programs to Prevent Workplace Violence (H.4767) before the end of the current legislative session (July 31). The bill would require healthcare facilities to assess workplace violence risks, develop prevention plans, provide staff training, and involve frontline workers in violence prevention efforts. H.4767 unanimously passed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support in November 2025.

WHO:

• Frontline nurses and healthcare professionals from across Massachusetts
  
  
• Representatives of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA)
  
  
• Representatives of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
  
  
• Representatives of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA)
  
  
• Representatives of the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Programs (MACEP)
  
  
• Representatives from Massachusetts State Council of the Emergency Nurses Association
  
  
• Representatives from the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians
  
  
• Supporters and advocates for workplace violence prevention

VISUALS & OPPORTUNITIES:

• Forty medical scrubs displayed on the State House steps
  
  
• Forty images capturing affected healthcare workers'
  
  
• 11 a.m. press conference featuring spokespeople from participating organizations
  
  
• Signs highlighting the impact of workplace violence on caregivers
  
  
• Interviews with RNs and healthcare professionals who have experienced workplace violence

WHY:
Recent statewide survey results continue to show alarming levels of workplace violence in Massachusetts healthcare facilities, with many reporting being punched, kicked, bitten, threatened, spat upon, or otherwise assaulted while providing patient care. Comprehensive workplace violence prevention programs are needed to protect healthcare workers and to ensure safer care environments for patients and families.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association