Oregon ENA Action Alert for Oregon HB 4142

OREGON ENA MEMBER ACTION ALERT

HB 4142, a bill to protect health care workers against violence, has passed the House Judiciary Committee and House Rules Committee and now heads to the House floor for a vote on Tuesday, March 1. This bill would add hospital workers to the list of professions that serve the public with enhanced felony penalties if they have been intentionally and knowingly assaulted. In the emergency department providers are subject to EMTALA and take care of everyone in the community. They should be afforded the same protections as public transit workers, taxi drivers, EMS providers, and highway workers. 

This bill will not solve the entire problem of workplace violence but will recognize that emergency physicians, emergency nurses, and their patients deserve a safe environment for those providing and seeking care. Violence in the ED threatens everyone and we are worth the time and investigation to prevent it from happening again. 

Contact your legislator and ask them to vote YES on HB 4142. Share your stories. You can find your state representative and state senator here.