(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has unanimously approved a bill that toughens penalties for assaulting anyone working in a hospital or nursing home. Under current law, someone could face enhanced charges — including a felony — for assaulting a health care employee who is licensed by the state. The bill would expand that to anyone working or volunteering in a nursing home, hospital or ambulance service, as well as medical, nursing and E-M-S students. Representative Timi Brown-Powers of Waterloo is an outpatient therapist at MercyOne in Waterloo who started her health care career as a certified nursing assistant.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to have this bill, but we do,” Brown-Powers said. “…Many of us in this room are in health care and know of instances where our bodies or our lives are endangered.”

According to the American College of Surgeons, healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than employees in other industries. Federal data indicates healthcare workers account for 73 percent of all non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the U-S.