Paid Employees Are Not Covered by Good Samaritan Laws While Working!

We double-checked the internet, and we still are confused as to how paid health care workers that have a duty of care have EVER been covered under a GOOD SAMARITAN LAW? To have Good Samaritan Extension Law is great. But, never should be used to allow a paid provider to not be accountable for neglect. This bill appears to be misleading in how it is introduced to the public in our opinion. Health Care Providers should not be considered Good Samaritan’s while working.

Good Samaritan acts are laws designed to protect people who provide assistance at the site of an emergency. They keep citizens who stop to render aid from being charged or sued for any legal liability for injuries caused under such circumstances. These laws apply to everyone, whether you are a truck driver, factory worker, stockbroker, doctor, or nurse.

According to RN Central:

The care provided must be rendered free of charge. And finally, once emergency aid is offered, there is a legal duty to remain with the victim until he or she is stable or another provider with equivalent or higher training provides relief. Otherwise, there could be a charge of abandonment.

Hospital personnel responding to a call for help within their workplace are not covered under Good Samaritan laws. The laws apply only to situations outside the workplace: at a disaster, the scene of an accident, or other emergency settings.

So why was House Bill 606 being referred to as a Good Samaritan Law Expansion?