During the 117th Congress, ACEP supported two bipartisan bills to address workplace violence: the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1195/S. 4182) as well as the Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act (H.R. 7961). The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would ensure that health care workplaces implement violence prevention plans and techniques and are prepared to respond to acts of violence, while the SAVE Act would establish federal legal penalties for individuals who knowingly and intentionally assault or intimidate health care workers and provide grants to help hospitals and medical facilities establish and improve workplace safety, security, and violence prevention efforts. ACEP is hopeful these bills will be reintroduced soon, and continues working to identify other possible policy solutions to address this growing problem.

Mental Health Care Access

At the end of the 117th Congress in December 2022, Congress took some important steps to improve access to mental health and substance use disorder services and care. Unfortunately, far too many Americans still have limited options for the longer-term followup mental health treatment they need and deserve, leaving many individuals with nowhere else to turn but the ED. Recognizing these challenges, many communities have adopted alternative models to improve emergency psychiatric care and reduce psychiatric patient boarding.

To ensure that communities can implement models that best fit their needs, ACEP helped develop and supports the bipartisan Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act. This legislation would provide funding to help communities implement and expand programs to expedite transition to post-emergency care through expanded coordination with regional service providers, increase the supply of inpatient psychiatric beds and alternative care settings, and expand approaches to psychiatric care in the ED to include telepsychiatry, peak period crisis clinics, or dedicated psychiatric emergency service units. This legislation was passed by the House of Representatives during the 117th Congress, but was not considered by the Senate. ACEP is working with the sponsors of this bill and are hopeful it will be reintroduced in the very near future.