The Guthrie Clinic, including its six hospitals and dozens of medical clinics, has become the newest member of the Respect and Heal campaign aimed at ensuring the safe and respectful treatment of health care workers.

“We are all caregivers because each of us plays a role in providing the health care our patients deserve,” said Edmund Sabanegh, MD, MBA, president and CEO, The Guthrie Clinic. “And in providing this care, we firmly believe each individual deserves as much protection as possible, regardless of their role.”

The Respect and Health campaign, initiated by Upstate University Hospital in October 2023, comes at a time that finds incidents of violent, disrespectful and disruptive behavior aimed at health care workers is on the rise.  

“We welcome our colleagues at Guthrie and our pleased to have their support in this important initiative,” said Upstate University Hospital CEO Robert Corona, DO, MBA. “Together we can make a difference in creating safer workplaces for our staff and healing environments for our patients.”

Since the campaign began last fall, hospital officials have gathered to discuss violence prevention strategies and ways to create safe environments for patients and those caring and supporting them. At a safety summit, held in May, officials shared best practices and covered various topics including sociological trends and data; new and available safety technologies; risk assessment tools; de-escalation techniques; and resourcing and building a K-9 security program.

A major push is aimed at addressing legislation that would stiffen penalties for harming health care workers and other frontline employees. Plans for another safety summit is in the works.

In addition to Upstate University Hospital and the Guthrie Clinic, other hospitals and health systems that are part of the campaign include: Auburn Community Hospital; Carthage Area Hospital, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, Crouse Health, Mohawk Valley Health System, Oneida Health, Oswego Health, Rome Health, St. Joseph's Health, Samaritan Medical Center, UHS System.

Membership in Respect and Heal continues to grow and Upstate officials say all health care institutions are welcomed to participate in the campaign.

Caption: Guthrie Clinic CEO and President Edmund Sabanegh, MD, MBA, announces Guthrie's six hospitals and dozens of medical clinics, will join the Respect and Health campaign.