Local nurses are reacting to a new law designed to protect them against abusive patients.

"I was punched in the face, punched in the head, the neck, my back," Dalia De Luna said. "Another good thing about this is it's not just nursing personnel, this covers physicians, physicians assistants, other hospital staff."

The new law takes effect September 1 and requires all hospitals and healthcare facilities to implement a workplace violence prevention program" by September of next year.