Letters: Patient code of conduct needed to protect health care workers from violence

I would like to encourage local health leaders to follow the national initiative in doing more to prevent violence against hospital staff.

Recently the Mass General Brigham health care network created a patient code of conduct to address the alarming increase in violence against hospital staff. One such indicator is an April survey of more than 2,500 nurses, which found that nearly half (48%) reported an uptick in workplace violence — up from 22% in March 2021. It more than doubled in a single year.

I personally spent 46 years in hospitals and just as you expect all employees and clinicians to treat you and every patient or visitor with courtesy and respect, we have the same expectations of all of you.

The patient code of conduct addresses patients and visitors who disrupt care and make verbal or physical threats — including racist, sexist, discriminatory or disrespectful comments about clinicians, other patients and visitors. Such individuals could face certain sanctions, and even expulsion from their facilities or future access to non-emergency care access.

Depending on the situation, it is possible that family members or visitors who violate the code may be asked to leave the premises and future visitations may be restricted. These behavior consequences are generally sprinkled around other polices or rights documents but not really focused and emphasized as they must be going forward.

In general, staffs are experiencing alarming levels of moral distress and injury due to unsafe working conditions. The threat of violence is one of several factors that are driving burned-out clinicians from the profession.

I am in constant contact with many clinicians and know they feel local health leaders could do more to address the rising tide of violence against caregivers. Late last month, two health care workers were shot and killed at a Dallas hospital. The current CEO and president of Baptist Health, Michael Mayo, is the former president of Methodist Dallas Medical Center, where the shootings took place. He was truly upset, and addressed the issue in an open letter to all Baptist employees.

Since my wife and daughter are frontline nurses, I have a personal stake in this issue. We have got to do something to make things safer for everyone.

Douglas Grob is the former director of quality, performance improvement and accreditation at UF Health – Jacksonville. He lives on the Southside. 

Renters pay more than fair share

There has been a lot of news lately about rent increases and how this hurts renters. I have a rental house in Duval County and I need to increase the rent primarily due to increases in property taxes.

As a comparison, the property tax on my personal residence has increased by about 5% from 2015 to 2022. Although my home value has significantly increased, my taxes have not reflected this because of the “save our homes” law. On the other hand, the property taxes on my rental property have increased approximately 62% from 2015 to 2022. Since the rental is not homesteaded, it does not benefit from the yearly limit on property tax increases.

Here is another example of how the government financially hurts the people who typically can afford it least. If you are lucky enough to be able to buy a home, you are protected from the spike in property taxes. If you are a renter, however, you are subject to rent increases (due to soaring property taxes on the rental property).

I guess the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office needs the more than $500 billion budget that is funded primarily through property taxes. But it is unfortunate that renters must pay more than their fair share.

John Cole, Jacksonville Beach

Nate right to criticize JSO

Nate Monroe’s Oct. 31 column rightfully chastises the Jacksonville’s Sheriff’s Office for its silence in failing to condemn recent blatant hateful antisemitic messaging here. The nonthreatening messages were dismissed by JSO as First Amendment protected, though historically such displays are often a prelude to violence. Prominent Jacksonville leaders and organizations condemned the actions and supported the local Jewish community.

Not feeling the need to personally respond, Gov. DeSantis instead delegated his deputy press secretary to release a bland statement of support for the Jewish community. It was disturbingly similar to his minimal response (demanded by a Miami Herald editorial) after Neo-Nazis prominently demonstrated outside his appearance at a major Republican conference.

Also silent is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful pro-Israel lobby. It was generally nonpartisan until this year, when it is prominently investing millions to defeat candidates it deems not unconditionally supportive of Israel — mostly Democrats endorsed by progressive Jewish organizations, including a Jew and a Black woman. Despite exposing itself to accusations of the old “disloyalty” trope, AIPAC’s non-response seems strategically calculated and shamefully unwilling to reject the votes of antisemites.

Leaders who fail to respond make us all unsafe.

Michael Miller, Ponte Vedra Beach 

Dems pay price for COVID response

On Tuesday, Ron DeSantis was re-elected by the largest margin of victory for any Florida gubernatorial candidate in decades. Charlie Crist did himself no favors by being a weak, uninspiring candidate, but the walloping was not entirely his fault.

The COVID pandemic apparently caused hundreds of thousands of Americans to vote with their feet by fleeing lockdown-happy blue states and relocating to laid-back Florida. It seems the vast majority of these newcomers have no interest in replicating the policies they left behind.

Under DeSantis, the number of registered Republicans has surpassed registered Democrats for the first time since Reconstruction, according to Florida Politics. In addition, the South Florida Sun Sentinel recently reported Republicans outnumbered Democrats nine to one among new voter registrations in the closing weeks of the election.

It looks to me like Republicans living in blue areas have not forgotten the outdoor mask mandates, prolonged school closures and vaccine passports imposed by their states. Now in Florida, they are punishing Democrats at the ballot box. While Democrats seem to have outperformed everywhere on Tuesday except in Florida, they may pay the price electorally for years to come for their party’s unpopular COVID restrictions.

Fabrizio Gowdy, Jacksonville

Simple redistricting solution

In 1812, Massachusetts' Governor Elbridge Gerry created a convoluted voting district that resulted in the origin of the term “gerrymandering.” For the 210 years since then, Americans have had to contend with politicians drawing election districts to benefit themselves, their party or to suppress the votes of minorities.

Courts have interjected themselves to remedy this process with only mixed results. A better and simpler solution (one which takes out all subjective circumstances) would be to start at the northeast corner of the state, county or city and draw consecutive 1-square mile sectors until you have the necessary population count to meet the requirements for an election district.

No backroom deals, no political maneuvering, no ethnic or racial considerations (either for or against) — just basic cartography and mathematics that can be done consistently now and for years into the future.

Richard Wolff, Ponte Vedra

Lawrence, Jags doing fine

A Nov. 6 letter from a glass-half-empty Monday morning quarterback questioned Trevor Lawrence’s ability to play at the NFL level, as well as his maturity. I have seen nothing but a high-quality, strongly focused individual and teammate from Trevor.

Let’s remember, that last year’s Jaguars didn’t have a professional coach. Urban Meyer is devoid of personal and professional values, as well as significantly lacking leadership capabilities and management skills. Meyer cares only about himself and was fortunate to have great talent at Utah and the University of Florida.

This year, the Jaguars have a coach that believes in the team and the individuals that make up the team. The Jags have lost six games this year, each game by eight points or less. They are finally learning how to compete as a team — and win.

Lanny Felder, Jacksonville 

Racial unrest in 1920

According to the Nov. 2 “Today in History” column, in 1920 “White mobs rampaged through the Florida citrus town [Ocoee], setting fire to Black-owned homes and businesses, after a Black man, Mose Norman, showed up at the polls to vote on Election Day; some historians estimated as many as 60 people were killed.”  

Will Florida teachers be fired or somehow penalized for teaching this history to students, because it may cause some kids to feel “uncomfortable?” This was a horrible episode; how else will they learn about it?

Debi Pyne, Jacksonville

Odd view of democratic process

I think there should be a recount in Congressional District 5 in which John Rutherford was elected. Oh, wait — he ran unopposed. Apparently, Rutherford thinks it's democratic to deny certifying the election of Joe Biden, but not undemocratic to gerrymander a district at the last minute so that opposition can't field a candidate.

He gets to serve again, despite having voted against every bill that would really help Floridians: health care expansion, infrastructure replacement, funding to protect against climate change and responsible gun ownership.

Roy Goldman, Jacksonville Beach 

Listen to both sides

As stated in an excellent Nov. 6, column, many people believe that good communities create better people. I agree that deep differences can be the impetus for deeper discussion and understanding.

How wonderful if that motivates people to have a genuine conversation, where both sides really listen to each other and act on the good from each side.

Marie Schaefer, St. Johns

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Letters: Patient code of conduct needed to protect health care workers