FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2026
Contact: Nicole Kiprilov
Email: [email protected]
When 15,000 nurses took to the streets in January, I went to the picket line to ask about their concerns. Nurse after nurse told me the same thing — they don’t feel safe at work.
For good reason. Nurses have gotten kicked in the stomach by patients. Bitten. Punched. Spat on. Threatened with guns and knives. Every year, thousands of nurses in New York are assaulted and harassed for just doing their jobs.
The truth is, under Attorney General Letitia James, the workplace has become far more dangerous for nurses and other hospital workers. In New York City, NYPD data show that assaults in hospitals have increased 46%. In the Capital Region, St. Peter’s Health Partners reported that physical violence incidents have increased 109%. Across New York State, assaults are up, and because of AG James’s support for catch-and-release policies, 83% of offenders arrested for assault are released the same day.
Nurses and hospital workers are also on the frontlines of our homelessness crisis and the epidemic of severely mentally ill and drug-addicted individuals left abandoned in our communities. Emergency departments have become de facto shelters. 70% of emergency room nurses and more than half of emergency room physicians across New York state have reportedly been physically assaulted while at work.
To stop this workplace violence, we must deal with the cause.
Someone who punches a nurse should be held accountable for committing assault, not released the same day. So I have proposed common sense reforms to our broken bail laws that will end the revolving door for violent criminals in our state.
Someone who is severely mentally ill should get treatment. So I have put out a plan to build residential treatment centers around the state and launch an Office of Civil Commitment to provide the severely mentally ill with the help they need and put them on a path to stabilization and independent living.
Someone who is homeless should have access to safe and effective shelters. So I have pledged that on day one I will audit and investigate every homeless shelter in New York, clear out the crime and drugs from the shelters, and ensure that these nonprofits provide the wrap-around services necessary to transition individuals to stable housing.
Here is my message to the Nurses and Hospital Workers of New York:
I see what has happened. Our criminal justice system has failed, our homeless shelter system has failed, our mental health system has failed, and you are left to deal with it. It’s not fair and it’s not safe. As Attorney General, my number one priority will be tackling this public safety crisis — not politics — and I will take bold, concrete actions to address the underlying causes in a way that is fair and compassionate to everyone involved. Like you, I chose my profession because I genuinely want to help people. I will use the powers of the AG’s office to do just that — get people who are in crisis the treatment and help they need, and prevent hard-working nurses and hospital workers from being attacked by known dangerous individuals.
All nurses and hospital workers have the option to vote for someone who is going to make your workplace safer this November. Join me, and together we will create a safer, more affordable New York.
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