AHA Report: Hospital Violence Costs Top $18 Billion Annually.
Earlier this week, the American Hospital Association (AHA) released a comprehensive report that measures the substantial financial resources hospitals and health systems spend on preventing and responding to violence in their facilities and communities.
The report, prepared by Harborview Injury and Prevention Research Center, estimates the annual cost in 2023 at over $18 billion dollars, a number which includes pre-event preventative measures as well as post-event costs for treating injuries, grappling with turnover and job loss, and accompanying loss of productivity. The bulk of the costs, by far, come from the healthcare expenses related to treatment.
The report makes one thing very clear: violence in and around our hospitals isn’t just a safety issue—it’s a growing financial and human crisis. The costs are stacking up, not just in dollars, but in the toll it takes on our people. From frontline staff to leadership, everyone feels the impact.
SCHA plans to continue working with hospital leaders, policymakers, and healthcare partners to build smarter, more comprehensive strategies that address both workplace and community violence. From our workplace violence data partnership with Antum Risk and advocating for legislation to protect healthcare workers to disseminating best practices, we’re already actively addressing this challenge. But there is more to be done.
In the meantime, we encourage our members to take part in #HAVhope, a national day of awareness to highlight how America’s hospitals and health systems combat violence in their workplaces and communities, this Friday, June 6. By operating as a united front, our hospitals can forge a path for all to have hope as we strive to create safer environments for both caregivers and patient