Western NY Nurse Council Holds Anti-Violence Conference

October 5, 2013

Over 200 nurses and other healthcare professionals participated in a conference on “Dealing with Violence in a Healthcare Environment” on May 6th. The gathering, held in Amherst, NY, was organized by 1199SEIU’s Nurse Council of Western NY.



While violence in communities is a complex issue, caregivers are developing ways to be proactive in identifying problems and protecting themselves before violence is committed at their worksites. For example, healthcare workers are regularly confronted with gang-related violence and spousal abuse in emergency rooms while trying to provide care.



“It’s sad that we need to do presentations like this, but we need it,” said Cathy DiFlavio, RN at Buffalo’s Women and Children’s Hospital and a Nurse Council member of the Nurse Council of WNY. “All of the presenters were passionate and informative. We learned about things I never even knew existed, it’s my hope we can have another one of these presentations so that more people can hear the message. Even if we don’t face these issues on the job, we need to keep our communities safe too”



Jessica Hooper, RN at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, said, “I work in the mental health ward and now I know what things I can look for to keep me and my patients safe and provide the best medical care.”.



Keynote speaker Moses Robinson, formerly a member of the Rochester Police Department, has worked for the past 18 years with students and faculty in the Rochester City School District.



The 1199SEIU Nurse Council of WNY is made up of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses elected from hospitals and nursing homes throughout WNY. For information on upcoming Nurse Council events and program, LIKE the Nurse Council of WNY Facebook page, or call Sandy Harmon, Chairperson for the Nurse Council at 716.597.5780