Silence Isn't Safety, It's Strategy: Inside St. Joe's Fight Against Workplace Violence

Would your hospital admit that staff get assaulted on the job — in public, with real numbers? St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton just did. And it's exposing a crisis most hospitals would rather not talk about. In this episode, I sit down with St. Joe's CEO Mike Heenan to unpack the numbers behind their decision to go public: at least 4 staff members verbally or physically assaulted every day — roughly 1,400 incidents a year, and that's just what gets reported. We dig into what it took to make transparency the policy, not the exception, and what other health systems are still avoiding. We also look at what this means nationally, using the CFNU's 2025 National Nurses Survey: 9 in 10 Canadian nurses experienced verbal abuse from a patient in the past year Workers' comp claims for violence against nurses have nearly tripled in Ontario since 2012 Healthcare workers are 5x more likely to be attacked on the job than workers in any other sector Between 2006–2021, only 12 Canadian court cases involving a nurse victim resulted in a sentencing decision Mike shares what it actually takes to build a safer hospital — leadership buy-in, community engagement, and the willingness to say "yes, this happens here." We also break down why I'm supporting Bill S-233, which would require courts to treat an assault against a healthcare worker as an aggravating factor at sentencing — meaning judges would have to weigh it as a more serious offence, not just business as usual. If you're a nurse, a healthcare worker, or someone who's ever wondered why hospitals stay quiet about this — this episode is for you. Fun fact I stumbled on while researching this: St. Joe's traces back to a group of Sisters of St. Joseph caring for cholera victims in railway sheds in the 1850s — that origin story alone would make a killer future episode. About Mike Heenan Dr. Mike Heenan is President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health System and President of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. He joined St. Joe's in November 2023 and was named permanent President and CEO of the health system in June 2025. Before St. Joe's, he served as Ontario's Assistant Deputy Minister, Hospitals and Capital, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has held executive leadership roles across various hospital settings. He holds a PhD in Business Administration/Health Policy Management from McMaster University. Connect with Mike: LinkedIn Careers at St. Joe's Interested in joining the team fighting for safer, more transparent healthcare workplaces? St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton is hiring. Browse open positions: joinstjoes.ca