A Georgia State Senate study committee is asking the Georgia General Assembly to consider increasing penalties for violent attacks on healthcare workers.
State Senator Kay Kirkpatrick, M.D. is the chair of the study committee that looked into violence against healthcare workers. Specifically, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that healthcare and social service workers, when compared with workers in other sectors, were almost five times as likely to suffer a serious workplace violence injury. Violence against healthcare workers is not a new phenomenon. In 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that from 2011 to 2018 the rate of violence against healthcare workers increased more than 60%.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problem of violence against healthcare workers. This issue is complex and there are many reasons for these numbers.
Last month, Dr. Kirkpatrick commented, “We know that violence against healthcare workers is not a new problem.”
Dr. Kirkpatrick continued, “But we know that the problem has gotten worse and that COVID has aggravated the entire situation.”
On December 6, 2021, Dr. Kirkpatrick presented her committee’s report. It emphasized that hospitals should train healthcare workers to de-escalate potentially violent incidents and defend themselves.
The report also included the recommendation that the Georgia legislature consider increasing penalties for attacks on healthcare workers. In January 2022 the final report will head to the Georgia State Senate.
In one publication Dr. Kirkpatrick commented, “There are already penalties in place for aggravated assault and aggravated battery. I can’t promise legislation is going to happen or would pass if it’s proposed.”
Dr. Kirkpatrick has been an orthopedic hand surgeon in Atlanta, Georgia, for over 30 years. She both lectures and consults on issues involving patient safety in surgery. Dr. Kirkpatrick previously served as the president of Georgia’s largest orthopedic practice, Resurgens Orthopaedics.
Dr. Kirkpatrick is the chairman of the Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee. She is also a member of the Senate Health and Human Services, Insurance and Labor, and Judiciary Committees.
