Medical workers seek protections
CASPER — Wyoming lawmakers are working on a bill that could increase criminal penalties for attacking health care workers.
A similar bill was attempted in 2013, but failed after passing the senate. But health care workers who testified to the Joint Judiciary Committee in May said that attacks have become more frequent since then, and so have instances of verbal abuse and threats.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated that trend, said Josh Hannes, vice president of the Wyoming Hospital Association, during a committee meeting.
“Never has the violence been as escalated as it has been these last couple of years,” said Tracy Garcia, chief nursing officer at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.
Between January 2021 and April of this year, Garcia said, the Cheyenne hospital has recorded 34 assaults. She said those include patients hitting, slapping, grabbing or kicking staff members, as well as sexual harassment, pulling hair and making threats to employees’ lives. In about a third of those cases, Garcia said, the patient was intoxicated or mentally ill.
“I strongly believe that it’s the right time to change the belief… that it’s an expected part of our work,” said Nicole Rooney, chief nursing officer at Laramie’s Ivinson Memorial Hospital, at the May committee meeting.
The current draft of the bill, which is set to be discussed at a committee meeting next week in Casper, would make assault or battery against healthcare workers doing their job a misdemeanor offense. Simple assault or threats would carry a penalty of up to $750, and battery would carry the same plus the potential of up to six months incarceration.
“Verbal assault, while nasty and mean … is a far different thing than physical abuse,” Sen. John Kolb, R-Rock Springs, said at the May meeting.
Of course, assault and battery are already crimes, lawmakers pointed out. But health care workers are seeking a special carveout within those crimes, similar to those already in place for assaults against police or detention officers.
Health care workers told the committee that cases of worker attacks are likely under reported, and are often only prosecuted when law enforcement officers responding to the scene are attacked themselves.
“It’s already difficult to staff our facilities,” Hannes said, “and I think it’s important that as a state we stand up and we say that this behavior is not going to be tolerated ever.” While hospitals around the state have increased security, adding officers or cameras to deter attacks, Hannes said funding is tight everywhere and often can’t cover additional measures.
This story was published on Sept. 10, 2022.
