Visiting Nurse's Murder Sparks Calls for Improved Safety Measures

The fatal incident highlights a growing concern over violence against health care workers, prompting calls for comprehensive workplace violence prevention plans.

Joyce Grayson, a 63-year-old visiting nurse, was found dead in a halfway house for sex offenders in Willimantic, Connecticut, where she was administering medication to a patient with a violent past.
The main suspect in Grayson's killing is her patient, Michael Reese, a convicted rapist. No charges have been filed yet.
Grayson's death has renewed calls for better safety measures for home health care workers, including providing them with escorts and more information about their patients.
From 2011 to 2018, the rate of non-fatal violence against health care workers increased more than 60%, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has been pushing legislation since 2019 that would set up federal regulations requiring health care and social service employers to develop and implement comprehensive workplace violence prevention plans.