Advocacy Updates

Remember to Vote on November 5^th! Although the nation has its focus on the Presidential election, Ohio ACEP wants to remind our members that there are important races up and down the ballot. From the Ohio Supreme Court races, a US Senate seat, a Statewide Constitutional ballot initiative and legislative contests across the state, we encourage members to review the races they will be voting on before going to the ballot box. More information about voting can be found at the Secretary of State’s website or your local board of elections website.

Later this fall we expect the Ohio legislature to return to official business. As a reminder, Ohio ACEP’s priority bill, House Bill 452, which addresses workplace safety for healthcare workers, passed the Ohio House of Representatives. We look forward to advocating for the bill in the Senate.

Highlights of the legislation include:

• Requiring hospitals to establish security plans for preventing workplace violence and managing aggressive behaviors. Healthcare workers who provide direct patient care will be part of the teams developing the plans. The plan must be based on a security risk assessment that specifically looks at high-risk areas, including the emergency departments.
• Requiring at least one employee trained in de-escalation be present at all times in the emergency department. The security plan will also address whether the emergency department needs a trained security/law enforcement officer on duty and what training those personnel shall have.
• Requiring hospitals to establish a workplace violence incident reporting system. This system will document, track and analyze reporting data to inform improvements to workplace safety.

In November the Ohio ACEP Government Affairs Committee will be meeting to discuss the chapter’s initiatives for the next General Assembly.

Want to Learn More?

If you’re interested in viewing the status of all of the bills Ohio ACEP is tracking, you can find the list here.