Seattle Children's nurses call out workplace violence

Tuesday night, nurses who work in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit at Seattle Children's Hospital will hold a candlelight vigil.

Members of the Washington State Nurses Association say there’s been an increase in violence in the unit, and want to bring attention to the need for safer working conditions.

KUOW reporter Diana Opong talked to Soundside host Libby Denkmann about what nurses in the unit have been experiencing, and what's at the core of this issue.

"According to a statement from the Washington State Nurses Association, there have been at least 15 incidents since late September where nurses have felt unsafe, " Opong said. "Of those events, half of them occurred in November alone."

The nurses Opong spoke to told her that the level of violence they're seeing right now is unusual and rare for the unit, but the overall increase reflects a crisis that's occurring in pediatric mental health.

What's behind the violence?

Many nurses say there's several factors behind what they're seeing in the psychiatry and behavioral medicine unit at Seattle Children's.

"Its a combination of problems — everything from short staffing, retention, experience, and no preventative care for kids ahead of time, before they even get to the point of crisis, " Opong said.

One nurse told KUOW that Seattle Children's is meant to support youth in crisis on a short term basis, but many children end up having to stay longer because they don't have a safe place to go, and the waitlist for safe housing can stretch out up to a year.

Internal turmoil at Seattle Children's is also contributing to the issue. High turnover in staffing means that escalations get lost in the shuffle of onboarding new staff, and not handled.

Greg Zorn is a charge nurse on the psychiatry and behavioral medicine unit, and says he's speaking out not just for his fellow nurses, but for the kids who are also affected. Zorn says the violence at Seattle Children's is just a reflection of the overall failure of the crisis care systems available to children.

"In no way are we blaming the children for what's happening," Zorn said. "The systems that were supposed to help them, be it the school system or some outpatient services [...] they haven't received any of those services. So their conditions get worse and worse."

A gubernatorial veto may have exacerbated the issue

Washington has been facing a strained mental health system for some time, with lawmakers struggling to provide long term solutions.

During the last legislative session, lawmakers passed House Bill 1580, which aimed to create a system to support children in crisis.

But Governor Jay Inslee partially vetoed a section of the bill, citing that funding would not be available until the fiscal year of 2024.

Once that funding is available, it'll create a new position — a multi-system care coordinator — who who will serve as a state lead on the issue, working with state agencies like the Department of Children Youth and Family Services, as well as hospitals to implement a rapid care team for a child in crisis and their family.

In a statement, a spokesperson from Seattle Children's said "the safety, security and well-being of Seattle Children’s patients and workforce is our top priority.”

The statement says that in addition to some other safety measures, the hospital has also "added supplemental staffing resources and increased both leader and security presence in areas of greatest need.”

The statement continues, “This also includes support to hire travel pediatric mental health services staff and nursing staff.”

Zorn said he wants a more comprehensive solution to the overarching issues this unit is facing.

"We need intervention at the local, state, and national levels simultaneously, which is such an effort to try to make happen," Zorn said.

The Washington State Nurses Association hopes to highlight their concerns during a meeting with hospital administrators on Wednesday.

In the meantime, nurses and State Rep. Liz Berry (D-Seattle), who chairs the Labor and Workplace Standards Committee, will attend a vigil Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Laurelhurst Playfield.

Listen to the full interview with KUOW reporter Diana Opong by clicking the play button at the top of this story.