Health systems boost security spending as workplace violence escalates

Editor's Note

Hospitals are ramping up security in response to rising workplace violence, investing millions in weapons detection, staffing, and risk mitigation, according to an April 14 article in Modern Healthcare.

Quoting executives from several large systems, the article details a shift from viewing security as a budgetary burden to recognizing it as an operational priority. Lori Morrow of security services provider Allied Universal says the healthcare sector is the largest contributor to workplace violence.

Although exact cost estimates vary due to inconsistent reporting standards, the American Hospital Association pegged hospital violence response costs at $2.7 billion in 2016, Modern Healthcare reports. A more recent report from the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing estimated US workplace violence costs at $151 billion annually, with healthcare and social services sectors hit hardest.

As for individual systems, the outlet reports that Cone Health spent nearly $3 million installing weapons detection equipment at five hospitals and now employs 155 security officers. Providence has system-wide risk assessments in progress and credits its size with allowing better vendor negotiation. Scripps projects $12 million in security spending this fiscal year and has seen a 31% drop in workplace violence since launching new safety protocols.

The article also details how legislation is accelerating these efforts. For example, North Carolina’s Hospital Violence Protection Act, effective since October 2024, mandates that hospitals maintain police presence in emergency departments. In California, a new law will require hospitals to implement weapons screening by 2027.  

Some security leaders emphasized that threats often originate inside the facility. Scripps trains staff on how to anticipate and de-escalate violence using proximity-based risk cues. Still, investments in technology and personnel are yielding returns; for example, Scripps’ injury prevention savings exceeded $1.1 million last year. As Cone’s security director Chris Cromer told Modern Healthcare, staff and patients report feeling safer—proof, he said, that the spending is worth it.  

The full report offers additional detail and context.