Joe Courtney Asks Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer About Protecting Hospital Workers From Violence

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During Thursday’s House Education And The Workforce Committee hearing, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) questioned Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer about protecting hospital workers.

Transcript

00:00I now recognize the gentleman from Connecticut, Mr. Courtney.

00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:06And again, I want to join my colleagues in welcoming the secretary back to her committee.

00:10And again, I appreciate the phone call the other day where we had a chance to compare notes on a number of issues.

00:16In particular, and you mentioned this in your opening remarks,

00:20your reference to using the registered apprenticeship program as the framework for expanding and growing apprentices is a welcome message.

00:29In terms of the Fitzgerald Act, which actually my predecessor in the 1930s, William Fitzgerald,

00:35was the sponsor of that law and has done great things all across the country

00:39and is the right framework in terms of setting national standards so that all across the country,

00:45people who see those certificates know that there's real quality behind that certificate.

00:51I wanted to focus for a second on one of the issues that is part of your mission,

00:54which, again, Mr. Scott mentioned, is to guarantee the welfare of American workers, which is the OSHA.

01:03Your predecessor in the Trump administration, Secretary Acosta,

01:08actually commenced a rulemaking process for a workplace violence prevention standard

01:14in health care and social workers, which has still been sort of chugging along within the department.

01:21Again, this is a measure that is, in my opinion, to address an emergency,

01:27which is the incredible rates of violence that nurses, EMTs, emergency room physicians are facing at a frightening pace and rate over the years.

01:40This committee has done a lot of work in terms of the data collection that validates and demonstrates how serious this problem is.

01:49And the rule that is before your department right now is something which, again,

01:54we enacted twice in prior congresses on a bipartisan basis,

01:59and there's a bill that myself and Mr. Bacon have introduced as well.

02:03But basically, it would set up a prevention system that is actually tried and true in some parts of the country,

02:09which provides training for medical staff in terms of how to de-escalate situations,

02:17basically identifying high-risk patients, whether in a psych hospital or an emergency room,

02:23which is where, again, the highest intensity of really serious injuries take place,

02:28and give, again, tools to people, whether it's panic buttons,

02:34you know, systems of communication in terms of flagging high-risk patients that are there.

02:39And again, I want to just emphasize, Madam Secretary, this is a life-and-death situation.

02:44We have had, you know, incidents reported in from all over the country of people who've lost their lives

02:51because of inadequate safeguards that were out there.

02:54One of them is a 63-year-old home health nurse from eastern Connecticut

02:58who was stabbed to death a couple years ago on a home health visit,

03:02high-risk patient, actually was on a sex offender list,

03:05and walked into that house completely sort of unequipped to sort of address what, again, ended her life.

03:13And, you know, the tragedy still resonates today.

03:17So, again, it's gone through the small business subrefa panel during the last administration.

03:25Again, the next steps are still ahead.

03:28And I really would ask your commitment to really making sure that the 15 million health care workers

03:33that are a huge part of America's workforce are going to see real action in your department

03:40in terms of advancing this rule.

03:42Well, thank you, Congressman.

03:43And thank you again for the conversation on the phone.

03:46Just in a few seconds, I want to address the apprenticeships that you mentioned.

03:51Yeah, I actually would like you to talk really about the OSHA.

03:54We agree on the apprenticeships.

03:55Oh, I will.

03:55No issue there.

03:56I will.

03:57My goal is the one million apprentices in order to enhance that.

04:00We are taking a look at all of the rulemaking because I think it's key.

04:06I can speak to it from former congressmen.

04:08That is one of the issues that I heard on the ground oftentimes was workplace safety.

04:13And now as the secretary of labor and understanding that is one of the core missions is to protect

04:18our workforce.

04:19No worker should ever have to determine whether or not they're going to go home safe at the

04:23end of the day.

04:24That is one of the core missions.

04:26It'll be something that I always look at.

04:27So in the promulgation of rulemaking, while I cannot discuss it while it's in rulemaking,

04:34it is key for the Department of Labor's...

04:34You know, really, it's just a commitment to move forward.

04:36I'm not asking for details.

04:37Before my 20 seconds, I just want to make sure you know.

04:40Over 30 professional organizations, American Nurses Association, American College of Emergency

04:46Room Physicians, labor who represents nursing and health care workers, including your father's

04:52union, the Teamsters, have endorsed this measure.

04:55And again, the burnout and the harm that is occurring out there threatens health care access

05:02in this country, let alone the life and health of the people who are the caregivers that are doing

05:08so much for it.

05:09So I really implore you to follow through what was started out in Trump 1.0 through the last

05:14administration and is now actively on the agenda of the Department of Labor today.

05:19I couldn't 100% agree with you more that we need to protect our workforce.

05:23My husband is in the medical field.

05:24I understand it dearly.

05:26And I will work with your office completely as we move through this process.

05:29I thank the gentleman.

05:31I recognize the gentleman.

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