When Politics Enter the Healing Space

How Political Violence Threatens Healthcare Workplace Safety

The recent assassinations of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, and United Healthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson, have reignited discussions about politically charged violence in America, but healthcare organizations and security professionals face a unique challenge: understanding how this broader political volatility can infiltrate their work environments. As political polarization reaches new extremes, healthcare workplaces are becoming potential battlegrounds where partisan tensions can produce stressful, violent encounters between patients, families, and medical staff.

Healthcare workers already face alarming rates of workplace violence—with international estimates showing that about half of all healthcare workers globally have experienced violence at work, and up to 38% suffer physical violence during their careers. Now, research suggests that political polarization is creating an additional layer of risk that the healthcare industry cannot afford to ignore.

The Political Contamination of Healthcare

The intersection of political violence and healthcare workplace safety isn't theoretical—it's documented and growing. Violence against healthcare workers is often aimed at the healthcare system and their political representatives.  It can destroy trust in healthcare policy and impede treatment and care. 

This politicization has accelerated dramatically since COVID-19. Political leaders, inside and outside the US, may make public health worse by linking health behavior to partisan identity rather than medical needs or expert advice, thereby undercutting the role of expertise and ignoring approaches grounded in science. This increases the potential for assaults on medical professionals and the healthcare system. 

Healthcare workers report that the violence has spilled over to social media and the private sphere and created new forms of hate crimes and harassment. What was once contained to face-to-face encounters now follows healthcare workers home, creating a 24/7 threat environment that traditional workplace violence prevention models weren't designed to address.

The Pathway Remains the Same

Political violence follows the same behavioral pathway as workplace violence. Whether the grievance stems from a denied insurance claim or perceived political persecution, perpetrators still progress through grievance, ideation, planning, preparation, and implementation. The warning signs—social withdrawal, obsessive thoughts, veiled threats, fixation on perceived enemies—remain consistent.

However, healthcare environments present unique escalation factors. Patients and families often arrive in crisis, emotionally vulnerable and seeking someone to blame for their suffering. When that natural frustration becomes filtered through political narratives that demonize healthcare institutions as part of a broader conspiracy, the risk of violence multiplies.

The Amplification Effect

Political rhetoric creates what researchers call an "amplification effect" in healthcare violence. Hostile speech has real-life consequences which go far beyond the most high-profile examples, and in healthcare settings, this can play out in several ways.

First, polarization undermines trust in medical expertise. Polarization affects what health information people are willing to believe and it shapes the relevant actions they are willing to take. When patients arrive with deep distrust of medical institutions, routine interactions can become confrontational. A nurse's vaccination recommendation becomes a political battle; a doctor's treatment plan becomes evidence of institutional betrayal.

Second, healthcare workers themselves aren't immune to political stress. Partisanship can also shape the behaviors of health providers, with research showing that politically misaligned physicians are more likely to relocate or change workplaces. This creates workforce instability that can strain remaining staff and increase tension.

Third, the 24/7 news cycle amplifies every negative healthcare story into a political narrative. Social media transforms isolated incidents into evidence of systemic corruption, creating a feedback loop where each violent encounter seemingly validates the next.

Vulnerable Populations at Greater Risk

Women account for the vast majority of the healthcare workforce and violence is no gender-neutral threat. Political violence compounds this vulnerability. Female healthcare workers report experiencing both medical-related threats and gender-based political harassment, often intertwined in complex ways.

Similarly, healthcare systems increasingly rely on immigrant healthcare workers, and this population faces additional risks against the backdrop of anti-democratic political movements in some areas. Immigration status becomes another vector for political intimidation in healthcare settings.

Practical Implications for Healthcare Security

Healthcare organizations must adapt their violence prevention strategies to account for political dynamics. This means:

Enhanced Threat Assessment: Traditional risk factors must now include consideration of political grievances. Does the patient express distrust of medical institutions tied to political narratives? Have they been exposed to conspiracy theories about healthcare? Are they part of online communities that demonize medical professionals? Are there certain ideological beliefs that allow for violence as an expression of their political alignment? 

Staff Training Evolution: Healthcare workers need training not just on de-escalation, but on navigating politically charged conversations. They must learn to separate medical care from political identity while remaining empathetic to patient concerns.

Digital Security: As violence spills into social media, healthcare institutions need robust policies for protecting staff from online harassment and doxing. Traditional workplace violence prevention focused on physical spaces; modern threats required a robust hybrid approach. 

Community Engagement: Healthcare institutions must proactively engage with community leaders across political divides to rebuild trust and counter misinformation before it escalates to violence.

The Path Forward

We must resist the temptation to exaggerate threats while taking genuine risks seriously. Healthcare violence is real and growing, but it remains manageable through proven techniques adapted for political elements.

Healthcare institutions can no longer treat workplace violence as separate from broader social dynamics. Political polarization isn't just changing how Americans vote—it's changing how they interact with the people trying to heal them. Those who understand this intersection will be better positioned to protect both their staff and their mission of care.

The choice before healthcare leaders mirrors the broader societal challenge: escalate in fear and create fortress-like institutions, or apply evidence-based strategies that acknowledge political realities while maintaining the healing mission that defines healthcare. The patients and communities we serve deserve institutions that choose wisdom over panic, preparation over paralysis.

About David Brake

DAVID is the Co-founder and CEO of OPTICS for Healthcare, an AI-first company dedicated to creating safer healthcare environments for staff, patients, and the public. The OPTICS platform was designed to revolutionize how healthcare organizations approach facility assessments, enabling them to conduct comprehensive current-state evaluations, generate detailed gap analyses, and develop customized workplace violence policies and action-specific operational playbooks.

About Kim Urbanek

KIM is a leading Workplace Violence Prevention expert with over 26 years of healthcare, security, and emergency management  experience. Kim is a nationally sought-after speaker, a #1 best-selling author, and a recognized healthcare consultant. Kim is the Co-founder and Chief of Innovation and Practice of OPTICS for Healthcare, an AI driven workplace violence risk assessment and mitigation tool, designed to reduce violence and improve operations at healthcare organizations.