Nurse recovering after patient allegedly attacked her at a Moore County Hospital

PINEHURST, N.C. (WTVD) -- A nurse is recovering after she was allegedly attacked by a patient inside an emergency room.

According to a fundraiser, the victim Crystal Thompson suffered a broken leg after a patient became violent inside Moore County Hospital in Pinehurst.

The patient, 35-year-old Karla Hardy is being charged with assault on an emergency personal.

It's unclear what led up to the alleged altercation that comes less than a year after a North Carolina law was put in place, mandating police officers be stationed inside emergency departments. It's a move nurses nationwide are saying is crucial for worker safety.

"We have millions of North Carolinians in all 100 beautiful counties that need nurses who are going to show up every day. While we don't want it to become the norm, we know it's a possibility. I would say that we need to do more for our nurses today and more for our nurses, future nurses coming into the workforce," said Trish Richardson, President of North Carolina Nurses Association: "

In a statement, CEO of the North Carolina Nurses Association, Tina C Gordon called the attack an "example of a worsening trend of violence against nurses".

"The attack on Crystal Thompson is yet another example of a worsening trend of violence against nurses. Our hearts go out to Crystal, and everyone at NCNA wishes her a full and speedy recovery.
Violence is not simply 'part of the job,' nor should it even be a reasonable concern. Nurses have every right to be angry that these types of incidents have become all too common - often without any consequences. We are grateful that law enforcement is pursuing a felony in this case.

Attacks on nurses are exacerbating the burnout crisis and feeding into the nursing shortage, which poses a direct threat to North Carolina's entire healthcare infrastructure. NCNA has championed legislation to protect nurses and other healthcare workers, and we continue to urge healthcare administrators and other stakeholders to find new and better ways to prevent these dangerous situations."

ABC11 reached out to Moore County Hospital's First-Health, to ask if an officer was on duty and the status of this workplace investigation, and have not received a response.