Save Healthcare Workers Act

The Save Healthcare Workers Act (S 1600) makes it a federal crime to assault healthcare workers while they are performing job duties at hospitals or medical facilities engaged in interstate commerce. It covers assaults on staff at hospitals, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, children’s hospitals, cancer hospitals, and critical access hospitals, with enhanced penalties for using weapons, causing injury, or during declared emergencies. The bill establishes fines and prison sentences of up to 20 years for aggravated cases, while allowing a limited defense if the assailant has a disability that impaired their understanding of their actions. The law directly affects healthcare workers and hospitals by creating new federal prosecution pathways for workplace violence.