Status: Enacted — Signed by Governor Roy Cooper on September 29, 2023 as Session Law 2023-129. Hospital security plan and law-enforcement-officer requirements effective October 1, 2024.

Bill Number: NC HB 125 (incorporating provisions originally introduced as HB 809) — codified at N.C. Gen. Stat. § 131E-88 (and related provisions of Article 5, Chapter 131E).

Jurisdiction: North Carolina

Category: Healthcare Workplace Violence, Hospital Security

Industries: Healthcare

Enacted Date: September 29, 2023 (Governor Roy Cooper)

Effective Date: Hospital security plan and law-enforcement-officer requirements effective October 1, 2024.

Summary: The North Carolina Hospital Violence Protection Act, enacted as part of HB 125 (NC Health & Human Services Workforce Act) and codified at N.C. Gen. Stat. § 131E-88, requires every licensed North Carolina hospital with an emergency department to conduct a security risk assessment, develop and implement a written security plan, and ensure the on-site presence of at least one qualified law enforcement officer in the emergency department at all times unless an exemption is granted. The Act also directs annual collection of hospital workplace violence data — including assault incidents requiring law-enforcement involvement, behavioral-health and substance-use-related violence, and incidents reported to accrediting agencies and OSHA — and pairs the security mandate with strengthened criminal penalties for assaults committed against hospital personnel. Reporting from sponsor Rep. Timothy Reeder (R-Ayden), an ECU Health emergency physician, framed the legislation as a response to the small share of hospital assaults that were being prosecuted under existing North Carolina law.

Key Requirements:

Security Risk Assessment: Each licensed hospital with an emergency department must conduct an assessment of physical-security and personnel risks specific to that facility.
Written Security Plan: Hospitals must develop and implement a written security plan based on the assessment, addressing access control, staffing, training, response procedures, and incident handling.
On-Site Law Enforcement Officer: The security plan must include protocols ensuring at least one qualified law-enforcement officer is present in the emergency department at all times. A qualifying officer may be a sworn law-enforcement officer, a special officer authorized under state law, or a campus police officer authorized to carry a concealed weapon. Hospitals may apply for an exemption under criteria set by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trauma-Informed Training: The plan must require training appropriate to the populations served by the emergency department, including a trauma-informed approach to identifying and safely de-escalating patients, family members, and other persons posing a risk of harm.
Workplace Violence Data Reporting: Hospitals must collect and report annual data on assaults requiring law-enforcement involvement, incidents in which patient behavioral-health or substance-use issues resulted in violence, and workplace violence incidents reported to accrediting bodies and OSHA.
Penalty Enhancement: The Act reinforces the existing North Carolina statute that classifies assault on a hospital personnel member in the performance of their duties as a felony, and is intended to drive more consistent prosecution of those offenses.

Affected Entities: All licensed North Carolina hospitals operating an emergency department.

IntelliSee Relevance: High. The Hospital Violence Protection Act requires every covered emergency department to maintain a written security plan, conduct ongoing risk assessment, and report annual workplace-violence incident data — including incidents that warranted law-enforcement involvement and incidents tied to patient behavioral-health acuity. IntelliSee's AI-powered continuous monitoring directly strengthens those obligations: automated detection of weapons, aggressive behavior, falls, and unauthorized access produces verifiable, time-stamped incident records that anchor the security plan's hazard analysis and the annual data submission. Real-time alerts to on-site law enforcement and security staff also reinforce the statute's core operational premise — that the seconds between recognition and response in the emergency department are decisive.

North Carolina Hospital Violence Protection Act (HB 125 / Session Law 2023-129)

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