Lawmakers in 29 states have approved or are working on laws that allow the creation of hospital police forces, whose members can carry firearms and make arrests. Some critics worry
Lawmakers in 29 states have approved or are working on laws that allow the creation of hospital police forces, whose members can carry firearms and make arrests. Some critics worry
Health care workers are five times as likely to experience violence as employees in other industries. Critics worry that establishing hospital police forces will escalate violence.
Nearly 40 states have laws that establish or increase penalties for assaults on health care workers, according to the American Nurses Association. And lawmakers in 29 states have approved or are working on similar laws, as well as ones that allow the creation of hospital police forces.
ATLANTA — When Destiny heard screams, she raced to a hospital room where she saw a patient assaulting a care technician. As a charge nurse at Northeast Georgia Health System,