WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Madeleine Dean (PA-04) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) introduced H.R. 3178, the Save Healthcare Workers Act to create legal penalties for individuals who knowingly and intentionally assault hospital employees. This bipartisan legislation mirrors current protections for aircraft and airport workers like flight crews and attendants.
While hospitals and health systems typically have protocols to detect and deter violence on their property, there have been growing incidents of violence inside our nation’s hospitals in recent years. Disruptions caused by violence and intimidation can prevent hospital staff from providing the best possible care and only worsen their record levels of stress and burnout.
Despite the rise in violence against healthcare professionals, there is no federal law that protects hospital employees. This bill would criminalize assault or intimidation of hospital employees — with protections for individuals who may be mentally incapacitated due to illness or substance use.
Congresswoman Dean previously introduced this bill in the 117th and 118th Congresses.
“Healthcare workers devote their lives to our well-being — yet hospital employees face more and more incidents of violence in the workplace with no federal protections in place,” Rep. Dean said. “The legal penalties in the Save Healthcare Workers Act already exist for other workforces, like commercial flight crews, and extending these protections to hospital employees is simply the right thing to do. I’m grateful to work with Dr. Miller-Meeks on our bipartisan bill to ensure safety for our healthcare workers.”
“As a physician, I know how important it is to ensure hospital personnel feel safe to provide quality care for their patients. With rising rates of violence in healthcare settings, burnout, and stress, it is critical we do all we can to improve workplace quality for healthcare professionals. The Save Healthcare Workers Act will advance legal protections to discourage such violence in America’s hospitals. I thank Rep. Dean for joining me in introducing this bill to protect hospital employees across Iowa and America,” Rep. Miller-Meeks said.
Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) and Angus King (ME) are leading companion legislation in the Senate.
The Save Healthcare Workers Act is endorsed by leading healthcare associations, including America’s Essential Hospitals, American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), American Hospital Association (AHA), Catholic Health Association of the United States, Children’s Hospital Association, Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), Healthcare Workforce Coalition, Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP), and more.
“The millions of dedicated hospital workers across this country should never fear for their safety when they are working to save lives. The rise in violence, threats, and intimidation against our health care workers cannot continue and we must do more to protect them,” AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said. “Hospitals are working overtime to ensure the safety of their workforce, but they cannot do this alone. Protecting our caregivers must be a national priority and this bi-partisan bill is a major step forward in helping us do that. We commend Reps. Dean and Miller-Meeks for their leadership on this important issue.”
“HAP and Pennsylvania’s hospital community thank Representative Dean for her continued leadership to strengthen protections for health care workers against violence and intimidation,” said Nicole Stallings, president and CEO of The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). “The Save Healthcare Workers Act sends a strong message that assaulting or abusing a heath care professional is never acceptable while building upon hospitals’ ongoing efforts to protect their teams.”
“The Save Healthcare Workers Act strengthens legal protections for emergency physicians, nurses, and other health care workers. This is a strong step toward ensuring that violence against frontline health care professionals will not be tolerated. ACEP applauds this bipartisan effort to protect health care workers so that we can focus on treating patients without fearing for our safety,” Alison Haddock, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) said.
“Every day, emergency department nurses are punched, kicked, stabbed or worse, and it’s something no one should have to deal with at work. Having legislation at the federal level to help ensure those who assault hospital workers can be charged with a federal crime is critical,” ENA President Ryan Oglesby, PhD, MHA, RN, CEN, CFRN, NEA-BC said. “Thank you to Rep. Dean for introducing the Save Healthcare Workers Act to help health care workers feel safe at work.”
Read the full text of the bill here.
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
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