Workplace Violence Expert Invited To Speak For Medical Care Professionals In Amsterdam

PR Log (Press Release) – Apr 04, 2008 – Sunbury, PA, March 28th, 2008 --  The medical field is in a very unique position in regards to the topic of workplace violence," says Jeffrey M. Miller, founder and director of Warrior Concepts International.  Miller points out that the FBI has had to create a separate category for health care workers because their assailants do not fit the typical profile normally seen in violent situations.  Most attacks in hospitals and other care facilities, where the average nurse is assaulted one to three times a year, are carried out by people who are not typically aggressive; but due to the effects of pain, grief, or the interaction of certain medications, become violent.  This is evidenced by the recent hospital shooting in Georgia, carried out by a man who was not satisfied with his wife's treatment.

Miller, a former federal police officer, body guard, and undercover investigator, goes on to say that health care workers are at the bottom of the list for employee-initiated assaults but at the top for the shear number that occur overall.  "Self-defense training for these professionals has to be very different as-well," says Miller, who has been studying martial arts, self-defense, and security measures for over two-thirds of his life.  "Unlike others", he says, "health care workers must be able to do something that no other person does in a workplace violence attack encounter.  "They have to protect themselves with liability-conscious tactics and techniques...while, at the same time, providing treatment for their assailant!"

Recently, Miler was contacted by Nico Oud, president of the Oud Consultancy based in The Netherlands, and invited to be a featured speaker at the upcoming International Conference on Workplace Violence in the Health Sector.  The conference is being held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, October 22nd - 24th, 2008.  Mr. Miller will be speaking on the lack of defensive tactics training - what he calls "the missing element" in most workplace violence plans - including those in health care facilities.  He will also be conducting a hands-on training session to demonstrate examples of the kinds of techniques, strategies, and tactics that are best suited for health care professionals.

Miller, who has consulted with, designed programs for, and spoken for such groups as: The Hemlock Council of the Girls Scouts of America, Kiwanis, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, members of US and Canadian Law Enforcement, and Stephen F. Austin University in Nagagdoches, Texas, says that, "most workplace violence plans are heavy at the front end with prevention elements, and at the back end with reporting."  He says that companies usually focus on these areas because they're the easiest to design.  Miller says that most of the consultants that can be hired today to help a company with workplace violence issues, focus on, and limit their advice to these two extremes as-well.

"Don't misunderstand," says Miller, who has helped with security and protection for individuals over the years, including: a former US Secretary of Defense, His Holiness The Dalai Lama of Tibet, and several members of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, "prevention is an absolute must.  Reporting requirements are necessary as well, but," he continues, "these things will be absolutely worthless during an actual attack - when you or your employees are face-to-face with an enraged assailant who doesn't care one bit about your "zero-tolerance" statements, your "banned-weapons" lists, or what you'll do to them afterwards."  He says that, it's precisely this violence, or the threat of being harmed that account for much of the stress, lost-time, and high employee turn-over that many organizations experience.

The premise behind the international conference where Miller will speak is that workplace violence in the health sector is progressively gaining attention and recognition as a global problem.  Experts agree that it's not confined only to single professions, but has become a major concern for many different stakeholders in the health care sector.

The focus of the conference itself, is to raise the level of awareness about violence against health care workers and, according to the organizers, the specific aims are:

1) To sensitize stakeholders to the issue of workplace violence

2) To understand the manifestations and the human, professional and economic implications of workplace violence, and...

3) To promote effective policies and strategies to create safe work environments

Miller was contacted as a result of more than a dozen articles he's written about the subject of workplace violence.  Many of these can be found in use by web sites across the Internet and on his own site at: www.wcinternational.com  For more information about workplace violence, organization-specific services and solutions, or to schedule Miller as a guest speaker for your group, he may be reached through his office at (570) 988-2228.