Denver — Legislation recently introduced in Colorado would require hospitals, freestanding ERs, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and federally qualified health centers to establish a workplace violence prevention committee.
The Violence Prevention in Health Care Settings Act (H.B. 24-1066) is sponsored by Reps. Eliza Hamrick (D-Centennial) and Lorena Garcia (D-Denver) and Sens. Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D-Commerce City) and Julie Gonzales (D-Denver). It would require committees to document and review violence incidents, as well as develop and regularly review a workplace violence prevention plan for the facility.
The committees also would have to adopt, implement, enforce and update the plan, in addition to providing training on both the plan and workplace violence prevention. Post-incident services for affected staff would be required, along with submitting biannual reports to the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment or Behavioral Health Administration.
The bill has been referred to the House Health and Human Services Committee.
