Posted: | December 14, 2020 12:27 PM |
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From: | Representative Leanne Krueger and Rep. Bridget M. Kosierowski |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Co-Sponsorship: Healthcare Facilities Violence Prevention Act |
Healthcare professionals working in hospitals and other healthcare settings face significant risks of workplace violence. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration defines workplace violence as violent acts including physical assaults and threats of assault directed towards persons at work or on duty. Additional instances of workplace violence in healthcare facilities include verbal threats, physical attacks by patients, coworker bullying, active shooters, and domestic disputes. Between the years of 2011-2013, healthcare workers annually suffered 15,000 to 20,000 instances of workplace violence related injuries that required time away from work for treatment and/or recovery. Here at home, in 2014, a caseworker was killed by a patient at an outpatient psychiatric facility in Darby, Pennsylvania. With these alarming statistics in mind, we intend to introduce legislation that will create the Healthcare Facilities Violence Prevention Act. In essence, our legislation does the following:
To that end, please join us by co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Takesha Latham in Rep. Krueger’s office at tlatham@pahouse.net. |
Introduced as HB348