List date(s) this work was published or aired.
7-Jun-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Following the stabbing death of an in-home care provider employed by a mental health agency, I wanted to find out how common similar deaths are. While I was able to find data on violence against nurses and other licensed healthcare providers, I found that safety statistics for unlicensed health workers are not consistently tracked.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I requested information on workers’ compensation claims and OSHA reports relating to violence, as well as information from the Department of Labor on the number of people working in jobs comparable to the home care worker who was killed on the job.
Explain types of human sources used.
I spoke to labor union representatives from Oregon and Massachussetts (where unions are pushing for laws to protect the safety of in-home care providers) as well as a woman whose son intervened to prevent his housemate from attacking a social worker in a group home.
Results:
I learned that there are significant gaps in how this sector of the workforce is tracked, and found anecdotal evidence that the data we do have may be deceptively light.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
The anonymous source I spoke with about the incident in the group home asked that we correct some details about the way the incident was described. This was corrected in a comment on the story.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
This is what I call a “negative space” story — I’m always interested in what the data don’t tell us, what information is not being tracked in published reports. For stories on healthcare violence specifically, labor unions are an excellent source of data on people in sectors it can be hard to get solid information about from states. Keep in mind that the “health care workforce” may not include certain workers. People who provide care for adults with developmental disabilities, for instance, may be considered part of social services rather than health care (although their job descriptions may be comparable to unlicensed workers or certified nurses assistants providing care to seniors).