The State of Michigan is looking at ways to better protect healthcare workers from assault.

Healthcare workers have reported increased violence in the workplace in the years since the pandemic.

The state legislature has passed a series of bills designed to boost the fines for assaulting healthcare workers, although patients are exempt from the larger fines.

Some workers say the new, tougher penalties don’t go far enough to ensure a safe work environment.

A study suggests nurses were more than twice as likely to face physical violence during the pandemic as doctors. Bridge Michigan reports that about 43 percent of health workers experienced some kind of verbal or physical assault during COVID, as tempers flared among frustrated people seeking help.