BRAINERD — The Minnesota Nurses Association is calling for increased staffing after four nurses were assaulted the past two weeks at Essentia hospitals — including two recently at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd.

A nurse at Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd was attacked by a patient Friday, Oct. 24, followed by another assault at the same facility over the weekend.

In the Oct. 24 incident, police arrested a patient who was suffering a mental health crisis, became agitated and slammed a nurse into a countertop, causing a severe laceration on the back of her head that caused extensive bleeding and required staples to close, according to court documents.

The latest incidents come less than two weeks after two nurses were injured at Essentia Health St. Mary’s M

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