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Catholic Hospitals Remove Crucifixes So They Can’t Be Used to Beat Staff

The move is a response to “the changing healthcare landscape and the general increase in healthcare workers experiencing workplace violence.”

A Catholic health-care system operating hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin says it is doing away with crucifixes in a bid to prevent attacks on staff. The decision, which applies to both wooden and metal crucifixes, comes in response to “the changing healthcare landscape and the general increase in healthcare workers experiencing workplace violence,” Hospital Sisters Health System said in a statement to Becker’s Hospital Review. No specific incident was cited as a catalyst for the move. The statement noted that “safer replacements” would be used, but no further details were offered about them. Removing the crucifixes apparently comes as a last resort, with the health system stressing that all employees undergo training in “Management of Aggressive Behaviors" and those working directly with patients learn de-escalation methods.