One in three US public health workers reports feeling threatened by the public while working during pandemic

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine documents the record levels of non-physical violence directed at public health workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response and the impact of the public anger and aggression on these workers' mental health. While the pandemic's effects on healthcare and other frontline workers are well documented, this study is one of the first to explore its impact on the public health workforce, an occupation that has not historically been at risk for workplace violence. Researchers found that one out of three public health workers surveyed had experienced at least one form of workplace violence.