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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
Braselton nurse testifies about workplace violence against health care workers
By Tim Darnell
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — A veteran nurse
who was allegedly attacked by a
violent patient was one of sever
al speakers Sept. 23 before a state
Senate study committee formed to
look into violence against health
care workers.
“I was attacked by a patient who
had already attacked one of our
technicians,” a nurse who identi
fied herself only as Destiny, said.
“While I was trying to de-escalate
the situation, the patient lunged at
me, grabbed my hair and twisted
it in her hands. I was punched and
kicked several times; I was bit;
and she tried to drag me into the
bathroom.”
Destiny, who works at North
east Georgia Health System's Bra
selton hospital, said it took five
nurses and three security guards to
restrain the patient. She said she
suffered a back injury, multiple
scratches and bruises, and weeks
of headaches and anxiety as a
court date nears.
“I’ve been asked multiple times,
am I sure I want to press charges,”
she said. “The patient and her fam
ily have requested my home ad
dress, and now they know where I
am. I work 12- and 14-hour shifts,
and I have a son and daughter who
are sometimes home alone.
“We are here to take care of pa
tients,” she said. “We are not here
to be harmed.”
According to a study from the
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, health care work
ers account for approximately
50% of all victims of workplace
violence.
But Deborah Bailey, executive
director of government affairs at
Northeast Georgia Medical Cen
ter, told the committee 75% of all
workplace assaults in the U.S. in
volve health care workers.
“Only 30% of nurses and 26%
of physicians actually report those
incidents,” Bailey said. “Violent
altercations are so common now
that most employees consider
them just part of the daily job.”
Workers in health care settings
are four times more likely to be
assaulted than workers in private
industry, according to the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations.
“Alarmingly, the actual num
ber of violent incidents involving
health care workers is likely much
higher because reporting is volun
tary.” the commission stated.
Kevin August, a veteran former
police officer and FBI official and
now director of security at Grady
Memorial Hospital, said any legis
lation addressing attacks on health
care workers must come with en
forcement powers.
“Training and more staffing are
imperative, but if police aren't en
forcing the laws and judges aren't
punishing it, this problem will
never be solved,” he said.
Lindsey Caulfield, chief mar
keting and experience officer
at Grady, said health care is the
fastest-growing industry in the
nation, and health care and so
cial service workers are five
times more likely to suffer vio
lent workplace injuries than other
workers.
“Eighty percent of these
workplace violence incidents in
healthcare settings are patient on
provider,” Caulfield said.
Anna Adams of the Georgia
Hospital Association (GHA),
said rising cases of violence are
occurring throughout the state,
not just metro Atlanta.
“The pandemic has highlighted
our major workforce shortage,”
she said. “These types of attacks
are often covered under worker's
comp, and figures show 22% of
these claims are filed due to in
juries inflicted by a patient, a
member of a patient’s family, or
a co-worker.”
Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commis
sioner of the Georgia Department
of Public Health, said stresses
brought on by the pandemic, cou
pled with easy access to social
media, are also factors.
“One nurse who was involved
in an attack had her home address
posted on social media, where
the public was invited to harass
her,” Toomey said. “At one north
Georgia mobile vaccination site,
the staff were heckled and intim
idated to such a degree they were
forced to close the site.”
Adams said a GHA survey
shows most Georgia hospitals
see violence against health care
workers from mentally ill pa
tients or patients suffering from
behavioral health issues.
State lawmakers passed a reso
lution creating the study commit
tee earlier this year. Its mission is
to look into the problem of vio
lence against health workers in
the state.
Kemp calls early November special
legislative session for redistricting
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - The General
Assembly will meet Nov. 3
to begin a special session to
redraw Georgia's congres
sional and legislative dis
tricts.
Gov. Brian Kemp an
nounced the date for the
session in a proclamation
Sept. 23.
Under Georgia law, the
legislature must adopt new
district boundaries every 10
years to account for popu
lation shifts reflected in the
U.S. Census.
Two legislative commit
tees, one from the Georgia
House of Representatives
and one from the state Sen
ate, held hearings across
the state during the summer
to gather public feedback
ahead of drawing the new
maps.
Lawmakers heard an ear
ful from representatives of
civil rights and voting rights
groups calling for new dis
trict lines that accurately
reflect population gains by
minority groups during the
last decade.
But if the past is any in
dication, the party in control
of the General Assembly —
in this case, the Republicans
— will draw maps aimed at
regaining losses during the
last two election cycles in
both the legislature and the
state’s congressional dele
gation.
With dramatic growth
having occurred in metro
Atlanta and some parts of
North Georgia since 2010,
the maps also are expected
to shift more legislative dis
tricts north of Interstate 20.
Rural counties in the south
ern half of the Peach State
likely will see a reduction in
the number of districts re
flecting losses in population
sustained by those areas.
Among other things, law
makers during the special
session also will be asked
to ratify executive orders
Kemp issued in May to sus
pend the collection of state
gasoline and diesel fuel tax
es. The governor acted after
the shutdown of the Colo
nial Pipeline disrupted fuel
supplies.
However, the special ses
sion will not include legis
lative proposals to address
the crime wave that has hit
Georgia during the past 18
months. Kemp had indicat
ed in July that he planned to
put crime on the agenda for
the special session.
Also absent will be dis
cussion of whether the state
should expand its Medicaid
program to cover more un
insured Georgians. Demo
crats have been calling for
adding Medicaid to the spe
cial session agenda, but the
governor has consistently
opposed the idea due to the
costs.
The special session like
ly will run at least into the
week of Thanksgiving. The
last redistricting special ses
sion, which took place in
2010, lasted for two and a
half weeks.
Red Cross blood drive planned in Auburn
The American Red Cross will hold a
blood donation drive from 1-6 p.m. Wednes
day, Oct. 6, at the Perry Rainey Center, 16
College St., Auburn.
The Red Cross announced this week that
it is experiencing an emergency blood and
platelet shortage and must collect 10,000 ad
ditional blood products each week over the
next month for the blood supply to recover
and meet hospital and patient needs.
Donors of all blood types - especially type
O - and platelet donors are urged to make an
appointment to give now and in the weeks
ahead to overcome the current shortage, ac
cording to a news release.
Blood donor turnout has reached the
lowest levels of the year as many delayed
giving amid a return to the workplace and
in-person learning, as well as a recent surge
in COVID-19 cases across the country due
to the delta variant, officials said. As cases
spiked in August, blood donor participation
decreased about 10%, but blood product dis
tributions to hospitals have remained strong,
significantly outpacing blood donations in
recent weeks, officials said.
The national Red Cross blood inventory
is the lowest it’s been at this time of year
since 2015, with less than a day's supply
of certain blood types in recent weeks. The
supply of types O positive and O negative
blood, the most needed blood types by hos
pitals, dropped to less than a half-day supply
at times over the last month — well below
the ideal five-day supply, according to the
release.
“Fall is typically a time when the blood
supply rebounds as donors are more avail
able to give than during the busy summer
months, but this year has presented a unique
and serious challenge,” said Dr. Pampee
Young, chief medical officer for the Red
Cross. “While it’s clear the pandemic con
tinues to weigh heavily on our minds, the
Red Cross asks the public to remember do
nating blood and platelets is essential to the
many patients that rely on lifesaving transfu
sions every day.”
Make an appointment to give blood or
platelets by using the Red Cross Blood
Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org
or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-
2767).
Those who come to donate in October will
receive a link by email to claim a free Zax-
by's Signature Sandwich reward or get a $5
e-gift card to a merchant of their choice, ac
cording to the release. (Terms and conditions
apply. Additional information and details are
available at RedCrossBlood.org/Zaxbys.)
To donate blood, individuals need to bring
a blood donor card or driver's license or two
other forms of identification that are required
at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of
age in most states (16 with parental consent
where allowed by state law), weigh at least
110 pounds and are in generally good health
may be eligible to donate blood. High school
students and other donors 18 years of age
and younger also must meet certain height
and weight requirements.
BLOOD DRIVE SAFETY
Each Red Cross blood drive and donation
center follows the highest standards of safe
ty and infection control, and additional pre
cautions — including face masks for donors
and staff, regardless of vaccination status —
have been implemented to help protect the
health of all those in attendance.
Donors are asked to schedule an appoint
ment prior to arriving at the drive.
Ossoff, GOP’s Grassley team on
bipartisan rural opioid epidemic relief
By Tim Darnell
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — In a nation’s capital seem
ingly more hopelessly split by violent parti
san rhetoric than ever, Georgia Democratic
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican Sen.
Chuck Grassley from Iowa have introduced a
bill designed to help rural communities fight
the opioid epidemic.
On Sept. 22, Ossoff and Grassley intro
duced the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention
Act, which they said would help ensure ru
ral communities experiencing a high level
of opioid overdoses have the resources they
need to respond to the crisis.
The program aims to reduce opioid over
dose deaths in high-risk rural communities
while raising awareness about local opioid
use and substance abuse.
“Like so many Georgians, I’ve lost friends
to the opioid epidemic,” Ossoff said. “My bi
partisan bill with Sen. Grassley will fund ef
forts in rural communities to prevent and treat
addiction and to save lives.”
“We’ve made some progress in fighting the
opioid crisis, but with overdose deaths rising,
Congress needs to act,” Grassley said. “Our
bill will help communities in Iowa and across
the country to prevent and handle any surge
in opioid overdoses.
The two senators said their bill would:
•identify current gaps in prevention, treat
ment. and recovery services for individuals
who interact with the criminal justice system
in rural areas.
•increase or create new efforts to address
the opioid crisis in the community.
•dedicate funding to local governments
and organizations with a documented history
of providing services to rural communities
or regions highly impacted by substance
abuse.
Several national health and law enforce
ment praised the senators’ effort.
“This legislation will help rural commu
nities across the nation receive grant fund
ing to reduce opioid deaths by formalizing
the Department of Justice rural responses
to the opioid epidemic initiative,” said Alan
Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health
Association. “As the opioid epidemic con
tinues to worsen, it is critical that the federal
government continues to invest in success
ful programs that help save lives, particular
ly in rural areas.”
“The opioid epidemic in rural America
is unprecedented in our history,” accord
ing to a statement from the Small & Rural
Law Enforcement Executives’ Association.
“Many lives have been lost and families tom
apart. Rural and tribal communities across
our country continue to struggle with this
epidemic and the COVID pandemic has
made the drug overdose epidemic worse.
“Rural and tribal law enforcement are
dealing with an increase in overdoses from
illicit fentanyl, prescription opioids and her
oin. Passing the Rural Opioid Abuse Pre
vention Act would provide resources to help
rural communities combat opioid overdoses
and provide alternatives to incarceration.”
“Additional substance abuse and addic
tion resources are desperately needed in all
communities but particularly in rural com
munities where services and resources are
lacking,” the Partnership to End Addiction
wrote, “We hope this program will help to
reduce the devastation of opioid overdoses
on individuals and their families in rural
communities.”
COVID
continLied from 1A
individuals who received
a Pfizer-BioNTech pri
mary series at least six
months ago.
Those guidance for re
ceiving boosters includes:
•recommended for peo
ple 65 years and older
and residents in long-term
care settings.
•recommended for peo
ple ages 50-64 with under
lying medical conditions.
•People ages 18-49
with underlying medical
conditions may receive
a booster based on their
individual benefits and
risks.
•People ages 18-64 who
are at increased risk for
COVID-19 exposure and
transmission because of
occupational or institu
tional setting may receive
a booster, based on their
individual benefits and
risks.
Only the Pfizer-BioN
Tech vaccine has been
authorized as a booster
dose, and the above rec
ommendations will only
apply to individuals who
received the Pfizer-BioN
Tech COVID-19 vaccine
for their primary series,
according to a news re
lease.
“DPH continues to
stress the importance of
vaccination for all Geor
gians aged 12 and older,”
officials said. “Vaccina
tion is our best tool to
protect lives and stop the
spread of COVID-19 in
our state.”
Pets
continLied from
1A
“We urge community members to take
advantage of this free resource to ensure
the health and wellness of our community's
pets.”
“It is heartbreaking when any pet suffers
or dies from a disease that could have been
prevented. It is further exacerbated when un
vaccinated pets come into busy shelter ken
nels, where these deadly diseases can spread
quickly, resulting in multiple deaths, sky
rocketing expenses, and hindering saving
pet lives,” added Susanne Kogut, president
of Petco Love, “By creating greater aware
ness and making this crucial preventative
care more accessible to pets not currently
receiving these lifesaving vaccines, we can
prevent the dangerous spread of disease.”
For more information about vaccine dis
tribution, contact Leftover Pets, Inc. at 770-
307-3499 or clinic@leftoverpets.org. To
learn more about Petco Love's lifesaving
impact, visit PetcoLove.org.
$ 5 00 0FF
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