GREENFIELD — One in four nurses in the state report not feeling safe at work, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association’s 2026 “State of Nursing in Massachusetts” survey.
Released last month, the survey found that the number of nurses who reported experiencing at least one form of workplace violence over the past two years has increased, while the number of nurses saying workplace violence is a serious issue has more than doubled since just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve worked at the hospital since 1987 and almost all of that has been in the inpatient mental health unit. Over that time, there have been episodes of violence, certainly,” said Kay Bruffee, a registered nurse working at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield. “In my career, I’ve been slapped, hit, had my hair pulled, spit on. I’ve had to break up fights. … It seems to have become more frequent now than in years past.”
The report noted that 74% of nurses working in community hospitals say workplace violence is a serious problem.
“Workplace violence has become an occupational hazard for nurses across the
commonwealth. One in four (24%) nurses do not feel safe at work, a figure that
remains well above the single-digit levels recorded before the pandemic,” the report states. “A staggering 69% of RNs report experiencing at least one incident of workplace violence or abuse in the past two years, and a quarter of those affected report six or more incidents — a pattern of high-frequency exposure concentrated heavily among hospital-based nurses.”
Bruffee said violence is “not something that happens every day,” but over the course of any nurse’s career, it’s almost guaranteed they will experience some form of abuse from a patient or visitor, whether that comes in the form of being being yelled at, threatened, or physically grabbed or hit.
According to call logs from the Greenfield Police Department, officers were called to Baystate Franklin more than 200 times in the year-long span from June 2025 to June 2026, averaging about 20 calls per month. Call volumes were higher in the spring and summer, and lower in the fall and winter.
Not all of these calls were for aggressive patients; the more than 200 log items also include police follow-ups on investigations, serving warrant arrests, four visits from K-9 Frank, etc. After including 911 misdials and crashes, where police responded to the hospital after a patient was transported there, the total number of log items comes to 374.
However, over the past year, the Greenfield Police Department arrested three individuals for aggressive behavior during their hospital stay: one for assault and battery on ambulance personnel, one for assault and battery on a police officer who had responded to a call about a disruptive patient refusing to leave the hospital, and one for a patient who got into a fist fight in the Emergency Room.
The logs also detail multiple incidents of hospital staff being assaulted by patients that did not result in arrests or charges being pursued.
“In the Emergency Room, we’re seeing people at their worst and most stressed,” said Suzanne Love, an ER nurse at Baystate Franklin. “That can lead to some lashing out.”
Love said some folks come into the hospital after a vehicle crash where they lose consciousness, or are struggling with mental health or dementia, so some come to the facility feeling confused and wondering why they need to be there, a situation that can be upsetting for the patients.
“We have an obligation to keep them safe even if they don’t think they need care,” Love said. “We want the ER to be a place people feel comfortable seeking care.”
Bruffee added that some people get upset and aggressive after being asked to remove contraband such as vapes and weapons from the hospital, and she believes people are usually “in crisis” when they get aggressive with hospital staff.
Love shared that a few years ago, an individual walked into the ER with a gun. While he had no malicious intent, he was used to walking around with a firearm strapped to his belt and forgot to take it off before entering the hospital. She added that frequently, people come in with switchblades in their pockets, and in rural regions like Franklin County that have high numbers of farmers and hunters, people are used to having weapons and tools around that should not be brought to the hospital.
“There are many times when I’ll see a switchblade in someone’s pocket. Almost every time they hand it over willingly,” Love said. “They don’t even think about it.”
Love said violent incidents do occur at the hospital occasionally; however, she believes it is still a safe place for patients and staff.
“I think Baystate Franklin Medical Center is excellent. We are a safe place to come and receive care,” Love said. “I think very highly of our hospital.”
The hospital does have plans to install metal detectors at a few entrances, Love said, and to increase security so there is always a guard on duty at the Emergency Room entrance.
She said hospital security officers are always available when staff need them, and while not always called, Greenfield police officers are helpful when incidents escalate. She added that hospital staff also take safety courses every other year.
A solution in the Legislature?
The Massachusetts Nurses Association, of which Love and Bruffee are both members, is also throwing its support behind H.4767/S.1718, “An Act Requiring Health Care Employers to Develop and Implement Programs to Prevent Workplace Violence.”
The bill has been sent to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means for review. Michael Rodrigues, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, told State House News Service that the bill “is top of mind” for the committee and it is “seriously looking at it.”
While the bill is still under review by the Senate, a preamble attached to the House bill declared that it is considered an emergency law.
“Whereas, the deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to require health care employers to develop and implement programs to prevent workplace violence, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public safety,” the bill states.
Love said some of the measures in the bill, such as requiring health care employers to conduct safety reviews and develop safety plans for every facility, and covering leave for employees who are injured on the job so they can receive care and heal without needing to use their sick, personal or vacation time, would help improve staff safety.
Section 132½ of the bill adds that anyone who “knowingly and intentionally” commits assault or assault and battery on a health care employee in the line of duty could face prison time, as long as 10 years, or fines up to $5,000.
“I definitely support it,” Bruffee said. “People need to be held accountable, and I think, for some people, that might change their behavior.”
She said people should try to remember that health care workers are there to help them, and if they see someone being threatening or violent, they should report it.
“We should not have to feel unsafe going into work,” Bruffee said. “I don’t think as nurses we should have to deal with violence on a regular basis. … We want to take care of people.”
