Lawmakers are proposing a bill that will require hospitals to have the proper medical services to treat human trafficking victims.
Any hospital with an emergency department will need to have a trained forensic nurse examiner on staff. The bill would also require those hospitals to follow specific guidelines when treating the victims.
"I think hospitals are involved but, we want to get them more involved in terms of looking what needs to be done in the emergency department," said Sen. Shirley Nathan-Pulliam.
According to the State Board of Nursing, there were 140 forensic nurse examiners certified to examine adults at the beginning of this year. There are two certified to examine pediatric patients and 81 certified to examine both adults and children.