New Michigan laws will increase fines for health care worker attacks

Kyle Mitchell
·2 min read
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Patients who attack nurses and medical professionals in Michigan will face tougher fines.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed two bipartisan bills, HB 4520 and HB 4521, in Lansing Wednesday that will double the fines.

Mandi Schoolmeester, a clinical nurse specialist with University of Michigan Health-West, attended the signing ceremony and says she has seen too many cases of patients harming the people trying to help them.

“It’s hitting, kicking, punching, biting, spitting,” Schoolmeester said. “The stories are terrible and in any other industry if that happened, or if you walked into a store and that happened to you, it wouldn’t be tolerated.”

She herself experienced threats while working as an emergency department nurse in another hospital system in 2011.

“I was chased down the hallway and told that I wouldn’t be safe going to my car that night and that stuck with me for a very long time. I’m grateful that that didn’t become a physically abusive situation but certainly it took a toll on me,” Schoolmeester said.

In addition to increasing the fines, the bills also require health care providers to post signs.

“In the last four years it has been really recognized outside of health care that it’s an issue and I appreciate that we had legislators that also took the steps to address it. Talk about it,” Schoolmeester said.

U of M Health-West said it has put in place procedures to reduce the risk and prepare staff on how to properly respond.

“We have increased the number of officers per shift and I know that we’re investing heavily in that team. We have also invested a lot of time in creating an educational curriculum for our staff on how to manage that situation,” Schoolmeester said.

Schoolmeester is hopeful the new laws will help be a deterrent.

“This shouldn’t be a part of the job it shouldn’t be a part of a health care worker’s reality that they just have to deal with this,” Schoolmeester said.

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