Sentara renews ‘Let’s Be Kind’ campaign, marking Hospital & Nurses Week 2025

Sentara Health is re-launching an internal and community awareness campaign aimed at curbing verbal abuse and violence against health care workers as the system recognizes Nurses and Hospital Week.

The ‘Let’s Be Kind’ campaign first appeared during the pandemic. It features prominent banners and wall clings throughout Sentara facilities, noting that “We want to maintain a safe and respectful environment for our team members, patients and visitors.” The campaign also lists unacceptable behaviors that can lead to removal, and notes it is a felony to assault a health care worker.

“Almost 75% of workplace violence in the U.S. is against healthcare workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor,” noted Stephen Hollowell, Senior Director for Security for Sentara Health.

“Hospitals are meant to be safe spaces for comfort and healing,” Hollowell added. “We expect appropriate behavior from patients and visitors, and our colleagues, during all engagements. Sentara is committed to balancing a welcoming environment with a robust safety program.”

While overall incident trends are down, recent incidents have put a renewed spotlight on Sentara’s Workplace Violence Prevention (WVP) program, which has been growing since 2019. Here are some key initiatives that have made Sentara hospitals, and all sites of care and business, safer.   

• Visitor Badging Systems: This initiative is active at all Sentara hospitals. Visitors stop at a reception desk, show a photo ID, and have their picture taken for a one-day visitor badge. Visitor badging has been shown to create a respectful atmosphere and reduce verbal and physical abuse of clinical staff.  
• Weapon Detection Systems: The Xtract system is rolling out to all Emergency Departments this year. It picks up firearms, knives, chemical mace, and other weapons as visitors walk through, so armed security personnel can intercept. All EDs will be completed by Fall 2025. The systems will then roll out across acute care main entrances.
• Enhanced Security staff: All Sentara security officers wear standardized uniforms identifying them as Security. Officers are trained on de-escalation and safety protocols. We support officers achieving certification by the International Association for Hospital Security and Safety.
• De-escalation training: This is required for staff in Security, EDs, Behavioral Health, ICUs and Family Maternity. We have since made computer-based de-escalation training available to all Sentara colleagues, and produced a ‘See Something, Say Something’ video featuring Sentara colleagues.
• Internal reporting and Tele-Magistrate program: Where the technology is available, Sentara workers who are assaulted can speak to a magistrate remotely from their work site to obtain a warrant. Sentara fully supports employees who file charges through the court process. We’ve also made it easier for colleagues to file reports on violence.
• Enhanced Behavioral Health safety in EDs: An assessment of ED treatment rooms resulted in safety enhancements for behavioral health patients, including reductions in ligature risk and removal of wall-mounted gauges to make rooms safer. We have hired dozens of Behavior Health practitioners and improved our clinical responses to behavioral health patients through a system Behavior Health Task force.

These are some of the initiatives Sentara has adopted to improve workplace safety and, just as importantly, the perception of workplace safety for our teams.

“Sentara is a safer place to work, thanks to our system’s commitment from the highest levels of leadership to workplace violence prevention,” Hollowell concludes. “It’s not just by preventing violence, but enhancing safety in our parking areas by eliminating blind spots, pruning shrubbery and upgrading lighting. It is a comprehensive program to enhance safety, so our teams can keep on fulfilling the Sentara mission to improve health every day.”