“Physical violence, intimidation, and threats are not accepted in any other workplace, and they should not be allowed or tolerated in a health care setting,” said Dr. Nicole Veitinger, past president, Ohio ACEP.

Two more chapters were instrumental in the passage of state laws protecting emergency physicians from violence. Virginia ACEP voiced their strong support for a law requiring hospitals to establish a workplace violence incident reporting system. OR-ACEP advocated for a law creating workplace violence prevention requirements and worked with the Oregon Nurses Association to ensure violence prevention training was offered.

ACEP is committed to keeping you safe on the job. These laws are meaningful steps in the right direction, and more wins are possible through dedicated ACEP member advocacy. Here is a list of states that passed laws recently to protect health care workers.

• Colorado (SB 25-166)
• Montana (HB 543)
• New Hampshire (SB 29)
• Ohio (HB 452)
• Oregon (HB 537)
• Vermont (H 259)
• Virginia (SB 1260/HB 2269)
• Washington (HB 1162)

South Carolina and Vermont: Ensuring Physicians Lead ED Care

ACEP proudly leads efforts nationwide to champion emergency physicians as the leaders of care in every emergency department.

In 2023, Indiana ACEP (INACEP) developed and advocated for a state law requiring an emergency physician to be present and on duty in every emergency department. In 2024, this ACEP-developed model legislation was used by Virginia ACEP to achieve another state victory for physician-led care.

This year, South Carolina ACEP (SCCEP) worked tirelessly to support legislation requiring all hospitals with emergency departments to have a physician physically onsite. SCCEP’s strategic approach showed lawmakers that an emergency physician-led care team is integral to high quality patient care.

“Our advocacy focused on preserving the existing standard of care. We emphasized that the bill was necessary to maintain the high level of expertise currently present in all our emergency departments,” said Lee Katherine “Kat” Moore, MD, president of SCCEP.

Vermont ACEP also stood up and voiced strong opposition to a recommendation by the state’s board to convert four hospitals into standalone emergency departments staffed by nonphysicians.