Nurses Assaulted: Nobody Listens

On Wednesday, an episode of Dr. Kevin Pho’s podcast, KevinMD, aired that featured me in conversation with the incredible June Garen, RN (and published author) talking about the scourge of workplace violence against nurses--and what Congress and hospital administrators can do to address it.

You can listen to the podcast here.

June is an incredible leader. I am inspired by the way she confronts fear and tirelessly acts to build solidarity and help people in need (you might remember our visit to the MGB picket line to stand in solidarity with nurses last month or the food drive June helped organize when the food pantry in Laconia ran empty). 

In her book, Hey! I Could Use a Little Help Here, June describes her experiences as a psychiatric and operating room nurse as well as an assault she suffered at work. Since retiring in 2025, she’s been a vocal advocate for healthcare professionals. Her willingness to talk about what happened to her is important because it is, unfortunately, a much needed reminder that being assaulted should not be considered just ‘a part of the jobʼ for the people who take care of people who are hurting.

Workplace violence against nurses is way too common and our current healthcare system too often fails nurses, while they are caring for the most vulnerable people in our communities.

In the podcast, we discussed the important role unions play in ensuring safety and protections for nurses, and how policymakers can do a better job listening to nurses and crafting policy, like the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. There is bipartisan legislation we can support to protect and support healthcare and social service workers.

Supporting nurses is common sense and itʼs the right thing to do. We have to do a better job taking care of the people who take care of us. That’s why I stood with Mass General Brigham nurses in their strike, and why I’m so honored to work alongside June.

As I said on the podcast, my take-home message is thank you to June for sharing her story even when itʼs really hard to relive the experience of her assault and for being willing to organize to build power so we can make change. 

And thank you to Dr. Kevin Pho for having this conversation.