The Montana Nurses Association is pushing for a new law that would make it a felony to assault a healthcare worker on the job with intent to harm him or her, according to a Helena Independent Record report.
Here are six things to know about the push.
1. The MNA is calling their campaign, "Your Nurse Wears Combat Boots."
2. In announcing the campaign, MNA Executive Director Vicki Byrd said nurses "run toward patients in need, regardless of the personal sacrifice," but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be laws and measures taken for their protection, according to the report.
3. If passed in Montana, intentional assault would be punishable by jail time and fines of $25,000, according to information provided by the MNA.
4. A new law would also place nurses and physicians in a class with police officers and judicial officers.
5. The MNA is not asking for the law to include protections for nurses who work in a mental health hospital or other setting.
6. This is not the first such push by MNA. During both the 2013 and 2015 legislative sessions in Montana, the MNA backed bills that would have created protections for healthcare workers, according to the report.