A bill crafted to help protect healthcare workers from attacks passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously on Feb. 10. House Bill 1219 places healthcare workers under special protection, escalating the penalty of assault from a second-degree misdemeanor to a felony, according to an article in the York Dispatch.
The bill's unanimous passage is likely in response to a number of recent assaults on healthcare workers in the region. Just this month there have been two cases in York County in which suspects allegedly assaulted hospital workers, according to the York Dispatch. On Feb. 7, a teenager allegedly punched an employee of York (Pa.) Hospital while the employee was apparently trying to assist him. On Feb. 14, a woman on her way to York County's central booking was taken to the hospital and allegedly spit on a hospital security guard and flung racial epithets at an African-American guard.
Brett Marcy, spokesman for York-based Wellspan Health, the parent system of York Hospital, expressed approval for the bill. "Anything that supports the safety of our staff members is something we support," Mr. Marcy was quoted in the York Dispatch.
Memorial Hospital in York, also supports the bill. Jason McSherry, a spokesman for Memorial Hospital, said, "Sometimes when facing a difficult healthcare situation, emotions, fear and stress can overwhelm patients and other visitors. This bill seeks to decrease instances of violence across the state and protect the safety of those individuals who are trying to help those in need."
House Bill 1219 was referred the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 12.