When violence in general—including gun violence—goes unchecked in any hospital setting, the physical and psychological impact can be severe, lasting and even devastating. Beyond injuries and tragic loss of life, the fallout from unchecked violence creates worker anxiety, loss of productivity and workdays, and significant legal and reputational losses.

A new survey revealed that 64% of clinicians feel physically unsafe at work. The perceived risk of violence was especially high among women, clinicians under age 40, emergency department physicians and employees who work with patients struggling with addiction or other mental health conditions.

Hospitals are places of healing, but they have also become sites of gun violence. A panel at the MedCity News INVEST conference discussed the ways hospitals can reduce threats and de-escalate situations before they become violent.

More than seven out of every 10 instances of workplace violence in the U.S. occur in a healthcare setting, according to the CDC. Doctors and nurses don’t have to live in a world where security is just good enough when they could do so much better with proven tools, processes and technology.

Wednesday’s mass shooting at a Tulsa hospital campus marks the 233rd mass shooting in the U.S. this year. Healthcare workers across the country are arguing that the nation’s gun violence problem should be treated as a public health crisis and met with legislative reform.

One company is addressing violence against healthcare workers with a panic button, which has been deployed in the psychiatric and addition services units at the Behavioral Wellness Center in Philadelphia.

The survey, released Thursday by National Nurses United, polled 2,575 registered nurses. Hospital RNs also reported that their hospitals are still not adequately prepared for a Covid-19 surge.

A bill to protect healthcare workers awaits a vote in the Senate and while that is a step in the right direction, hospitals and other care settings should do all they can now to ensure that nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers are kept as safe as possible.