A New York State law requiring hospitals and nursing homes to implement “Workplace Violence Prevention Programs” takes effect in September and directs facilities to adopt security measures, policies, and personnel training. This compliance alert examines the requirements of Senate Bill S5294B, which aims to protect healthcare workers, patients, residents, and visitors.
Summary
New York State’s Senate Bill S5294B, “An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring hospitals to develop a violence prevention program”, was signed into law at the end of 2025 and will come into effect on September 18, 2026. This program must be consistent with the Medicaid and Medicare “conditions of participation for hospitals”, as well as the workplace violence standards of any accrediting organizations under which the hospital in question maintains accreditation.
S5294B requires healthcare facilities (general hospitals and nursing homes) to, at minimum:
- Conduct a workplace safety and security assessment annually
- Develop and implement a safety and security plan identifying threats and hazards
- Adopt security measures and policies, including personnel training, increases in staffing and security, safety equipment, and building improvements designed to prevent or minimize threats and hazards
The law also requires larger general hospitals to have at least one member of security personnel present at all times in the emergency department (smaller general hospitals must do the same, but the security personnel can be “on the premises”).
In general, the law calls for the assessment to be tailored to “the size, complexity, and local geographical factors affecting the general hospital.” Furthermore, the law requires that the plan be updated to identify newly identified risks and changes in conditions.
Who Is Impacted and What Actions Are Required?
The new law applies to all healthcare facilities (including nursing homes) in New York state.
New York is the latest in a line of states to implement violence prevention laws specific to healthcare. Similar laws already apply to facilities in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington.
How Affirmity Can Help
Affirmity offers a special version of its “Preventing Workplace Violence” course tailored specifically to the needs of healthcare organizations as part of its catalog of workforce compliance training solutions. Healthcare employers operating in New York state—as well as any of the other states mentioned above—can use this module to quickly and completely fulfill the training requirements of these violence prevention laws.
Learn more about our compliance training solutions—browse our catalog and contact us today to get started.
About the Author
Kim Hendon oversees account management and sales for Affirmity. She is responsible for building successful, long-term partnerships with clients and generating new business. Having served with the company for more than 25 years, Ms. Hendon has in-depth knowledge and broad experience in all areas of workforce analytics and HR compliance.
Ms. Hendon assists clients with the planning and development of workforce compliance and non-discrimination programs, as well as employee engagement initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and a Master’s in Business Administration. Connect with her on LinkedIn.