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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 24, 2015 01:32 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Andrew E. Dinniman |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Healthcare Facilities Violence Prevention Act |
| I will soon introduce the “Healthcare Facilities Violence Prevention Act”, which has been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as House Bill 326 by state Rep. Florindo Fabrizio. As Rep. Fabrizio notes, this important legislation is geared at protecting the selfless, tireless doctors, nurses, therapists, and other health care professionals who care for us when we are most vulnerable by preventing violence. On July 24, 2014, a caseworker was killed and a physician wounded by a patient in the outpatient psychiatric unit at Mercy Fitzgerald Wellness Center in Darby, Pennsylvania. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare and social assistance workers were the victims of approximately 11,370 assaults by persons nationwide; a greater than 13 percent increase over the previous year. Almost 19 percent of these assaults occurred in nursing and residential care facilities alone. Unfortunately, experts believe that many more incidents probably go unreported. In 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the rate of workplace violence-related nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work for health care and social assistance workers was 15.1 per 10,000 full-time workers in 2012. For private industry overall, the rate was 4.0. Common factors associated with violence include long wait times in emergency departments, patients who have a history of violence, patients with psychiatric histories, patients under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to a study published January, 2014, in the Journal of Emergency Medicine. I hope you join me in support of this important legislation. |
Introduced as SB769