Building a workplace violence program for behavioral health units
By connecting people, assets, and environments in real time, Canopy helps hospitals respond faster, operate more efficiently, and support teams without adding complexity.
Behavioral health units (BHUs) operate at the intersection of clinical care, emotional complexity, and elevated risk, but the standard approach to workplace violence prevention often falls short. Unlike general inpatient settings, BHUs serve a patient population that may present with acute psychiatric crises, co-occurring substance use disorders, or circumstances such as police custody or homelessness, creating a uniquely challenging environment for frontline staff.
In this candid panel discussion, behavioral health leaders and clinical leaders will pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a workplace violence program that works in a BHU, not just one that checks a compliance box.
The strategic agenda
Join as Canopy's Senior Clinical Advisor, Jeanne Venella, talks with behavioral health leaders and clinical leaders to discuss:
- Why BHUs are different
And why cookie-cutter WPV programs miss the mark for these units - The cultural challenge
How mission-driven staff can inadvertently normalize aggression, and how to shift that without sacrificing compassion - The multidisciplinary model
How nursing, social work, security, and operations must work together (not in silos) to co-manage escalating situations - Technology's role and its limits
Where tools like wearable duress systems add real value, and where culture change has to lead - Measuring what matters
Moving beyond incident counts to track what staff actually feel, and how to demonstrate that your program is working
