Nurses at Cleveland-based MetroHealth’s Behavioral Health Hospital raised safety concerns during a Dec. 9 Cuyahoga County Council public hearing, citing dangerous working conditions and inadequate staffing, Ideastream Public Media reported Dec. 10.
MetroHealth behavioral health nurses voted to unionize in March, joining the Ohio Nurses Association. The newly unionized nurses are seeking “stronger staffing, safer patient-placement protocols and enforceable safety measures,” according to the report.
Jeff Bettinger, RN, a MetroHealth nurse and ONA’s vice president, said the behavioral health hospital houses violent or sexually aggressive patients alongside nonviolent ones, increasing the risk of assaults. “One patient was assaulted by his roommate in the middle of the night during his sleep,” Mr. Bettinger told the outlet.
Nearly 65% of direct-care nurses in Ohio reported experiencing workplace violence in the past year, according to a 2024 ONA survey.
MetroHealth responded with a statement, “The MetroHealth System is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for all employees, including at the behavioral health hospital. We have a comprehensive, multi-layered safety policy grounded in evidence-based practice and research that enforces a preventive and proactive approach to address workplace violence. The policy includes specific procedures that demonstrate structured prevention, intervention and post-incident review.”
