Health workers say they have faced increasing threats and violence since the coronavirus pandemic.
The death of visiting nurse Joyce Grayson last November has just highlighted the issues that lawmakers are seeking to address this session.
Sherry Dayton, vice president of AFT Connecticut Healthcare, said each home health care worker has a unique story.
Her case began several years ago, when she was a visiting nurse and said a patient's family threatened to kill her after she threw moldy cheese in the trash.
“If we don't have access to care, we won't have access to care, and that's going to have a devastating impact on our community,” Dayton said.
Lawmakers are proposing several bills to strengthen protections, including stronger training and preventing nurses from making solo home visits for fear of violence.
Hospitals and health networks need to be able to easily find out if a patient has a history of violence or harassment.
“One of the most important things we're considering is how can we ensure the safety of all home health care workers,” said Saud Anwar, co-chair of the Public Health Committee. said Sen. (D-South Windsor).
Republican lawmakers support the proposal but say more work is needed.
House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora also pointed out that Grayson was caring for a patient at a treatment facility for convicted sex offenders, where his body was found.
He said the state needs to keep high-risk inmates isolated by home.
“Basically, we need to be talking about reintegrating violent criminals back into society,” Candelora said.
The Connecticut Hospital Association also supports the effort. But the group said the country needed to take further steps to protect all health workers.
CHA is seeking funding to improve the safety of certain buildings.
“Many hospitals are starting to consider some types of metal detectors in their emergency departments,” said Paul Kidwell, senior vice president of CHA.
Senate Democrats say the issue is one of their top priorities, vowing to pass something on health care worker safety.
They have an extensive bill proposing many of these changes, scheduled for a hearing in the Public Health Committee on Monday.
