Senator Lewis and Mass. Senate Pass Bill to Better Protect Healthcare Workers from Assault

BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate to support the safety of frontline healthcare workers by improving security protocols at hospitals and other healthcare facilities across the state.

Hospital staff are regularly subjected to verbal threats and physical abuse with nearly 70% of nurses reporting having experienced an assault in the workplace in Massachusetts. Responding to this troubling rate of violent incidents, the Senate passed this legislation to require reviews of security protocols and potential risks at healthcare facilities each year.

The legislation also helps law enforcement make timely arrests for assaults at healthcare facilities, extends new supports to healthcare workers who are assaulted on the job, and shields victims’ personal information from assailants.

“Healthcare professionals work tirelessly to support our families and communities through thick and thin—they shouldn’t need to come to work every day worried about being assaulted,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “This legislation prepares hospitals to be ready to respond to violent incidents and helps support victims of assault in the aftermath.”

The Senate’s bill allows law enforcement officers to make timely, warrantless arrests for assault or battery on a healthcare worker, similar to existing policy that allows for timely arrests in domestic violence cases.

To support healthcare workers who are assaulted, the bill requires employers to offer paid leave that covers an employee’s time seeking medical treatment and aiding in the prosecution of their attacker. It would also shield the victim’s personal, residential address on criminal complaints.

After passing in the state Senate, the bill will now be reconciled with a similar version that was previously passed by the House of Representatives before being sent to Governor Healey for her signature.

On the same day, the Senate also passed legislation to bring oversight to the state’s unregulated home care industry through legislation that would create a licensure structure, including fingerprinting and background checks, for home care workers that assist elders with basic care like cooking, dressing, and bathing. This bill will also be reconciled with a similar version that was previously passed by the House of Representatives before being sent to Governor Healey.