An Ontario County nurse who was seriously injured during an assault inside Clifton Springs Hospital last summer is speaking publicly after confronting her attacker in court and delivering a victim impact statement centered on accountability, healthcare worker safety, and reform.
Ehren Strohm, an emergency room nurse and nurse practitioner student, said she addressed the defendant directly during court proceedings tied to the Aug. 18, 2025 assault that left her unable to work or continue clinical training for nearly seven weeks.
“Healthcare workers deserve to feel safe when they go to work to help others,” Strohm told the court. “Violence should never be considered ‘part of the job.’”
The case stemmed from an incident in which deputies from the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office responded to a suspicious person call at a Byrne Dairy on County Road 50 before Alyna Ann Lindenau, who was listed as homeless, was transported to the hospital for evaluation. Authorities said Lindenau later assaulted Strohm inside the emergency department, resulting in a second-degree assault charge.
Strohm previously said the attack caused significant knee injuries after she was struck with enough force that her knee bent backward and “popped.” She said the assault disrupted both her professional and personal life, including time away from her two young children during recovery.
In her statement, Strohm said the emotional aftermath proved just as difficult as the physical recovery.
“As a nurse, you are trained to remain calm in chaos, to help people through crises, and to put others first,” she said. “After this incident, I found myself having to rebuild not just my physical strength, but my sense of security in a profession I have dedicated my life to.”
Strohm also told the court she forgave Lindenau, who also goes by “Gio,” while emphasizing forgiveness did not remove accountability for the assault.
According to Strohm, Lindenau pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, a felony under New York law.
The case has become part of a broader conversation about violence against healthcare workers statewide and nationally. Strohm has since become involved in advocacy efforts pushing for stronger workplace protections and policy changes aimed at addressing repeat violence against medical staff.
Last year, she publicly supported discussion surrounding the proposed PROTECT Act, legislation introduced in Albany that would require courts to use statewide risk assessments in certain felony and serious misdemeanor cases before release decisions are made.
Strohm said she intends to continue advocating for healthcare worker safety at both the state and federal levels.
“What happened to me opened my eyes to the responsibility we have to protect healthcare workers,” she said in court. “That is how I am choosing to move forward as a victim of healthcare violence.”
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