Last week, hundreds of nurses went to Harrisburg and called our legislators to speak out in support of Senate Bill 842 and House Bill 1880, which would reduce threats of violence, harassment, and stalking to healthcare workers by ending the legal requirement that our ID badges display both our first and last names.
This legislation has already passed the House. It already passed the Senate. All we need now is for legislators to “reconcile” the bill: for the House to pass the Senate version, or the Senate to pass the House version… but they haven’t taken action yet.
Last week, we made 431 calls to our Representatives and visited 24 Senators to call on them to take action now to pass this critical legislation.
We know that the only way we can make our voices heard and win the improvements we need for our patients and our profession is to unite, speak up, and use our power in numbers.
“It’s a long time coming,” said Kaylee Colemire, RN. “Given the sensitive services we provide, it’s unnecessary and dangerous to have our full names displayed. It puts healthcare workers at risk, especially with the rise of social media.”
Nurses also sat down with Senator and RN Maria Collett to share their own experiences with stalking and harassment and how they believe these incidents could be curbed by this bill.
“We have all found so much great reward being healthcare providers, but we have to balance that by making sure people are coming into an environment that’s rewarding and safe,” said Senator Maria Collett, RN. “We have to provide protection for frontline caregivers. I’m proud to be a cosponsor of SB 842 because it does exactly that. It replaces last names on ID badges with other unique identifiers for providers, and gives more privacy for caregivers. We are excited about this legislation moving forward.”
If you haven’t yet, will you call your Representative?
Through the power of our advocacy as thousands of nurses speaking out, we will continue to stand up and fight to improve healthcare across the state.
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