National Nurses United

NewsBriefs_Mar RAD's changes Korea back 4/2/10 6:56 PM Page 4 NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL National Safe Staffing Legislation Offers Hope for Improved Patient Care hen United States Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act, S. 1031, in May 2009, she noted that having safe staffing levels for nurses can make the difference between life and death for patients. As the nation moves toward implementing a health reform law that fails to guarantee a single standard of high quality healthcare for all, extending safe staffing ratios across the nation becomes even more vital. "Too many nurses are overworked because of staffing levels that are inadequate," Boxer said as she addressed RNs in Washington, D.C. following the introduction of her bill. "I am proud to be the author of a bill that will improve the healthcare of all Americans." Patterned after California law, Sen. Boxer's bill would not only establish limits on the number of patients per registered nurse in hospitals but would also provide legal support for registered nurses as patient advocates. Whistle-blower protections would be enacted to protect nurses who expose unsafe conditions, and there would be a prohibition on mandatory overtime (except in cases of declared emergency). Mandatory overtime can contribute to medical errors, studies have shown. S. 1031 also envisions a reduction in the national nursing shortage by keeping nurses at the bedside, promoting the recruitment of new nurses, and creating a federal RN workforce initiative to promote nursing education. The workforce initiative would offer living stipends, preceptorships and mentorships, and training for new nurses so they can provide the best care for their patients. The effort to pass S. 1031 will be ongoing and not without challenge. "No question there is a lot of work before us," said Joe Jurczak, National Nurses United's political director. "I'm often reminded that it took 12 years for the nurses in California to persevere and to enact landmark patient ratio legislation. So now we must W 4 N AT I O N A L N U R S E continue with the struggle, continue the work of educating the public and politicians, and continue our engagement in the electoral process to achieve our goals." Setting RN-to-patient staffing ratios of 1:4 nationally could save as many as 72,000 lives each year, according to a 2005 study in Medical Care, a journal of the American Public Health Association. Studies show that improving and protecting staffing levels for RNs reduces both unexpected deaths and medical complications. Hospitals see greater transmission of MRSA staph infections during periods of understaffing, according to a 2008 report in medical journal The Lancet. Sen. Boxer watched the struggle in California for the safe staffing bill, and saw nurses fight in the years after the bill's passage to protect the ratios from political attack by those who did not share their commitment to patient care. "I am proud of your strength," she said in announcing her legislation, recalling how the members of the California Nurses Association stood up to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on this and other issues. Nurses across the country recognize the importance of safe staffing ratios. NNU nurses in Michigan say hospitals are cutting costs by slashing staff, making nurses W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G work back-to-back shifts and cover more patients than they can handle. "Administrators are claiming it's due to the economics and finances behind it. However, nurses still need their numbers to be able to do what we're supposed to be doing, which is safe patient care," said Shawn Shuler, RN of Michigan. "Right now in law there are rules that govern how many hours a pilot can fly, how many hours a truck driver can drive, but not the number of hours a nurse can be forced to work," said Ken Fletcher, associate executive director for government relations of the Michigan Nurses Association. Florida RN Tina Bauer put it this way: "If you're giving pain meds to six patients, somebody's going to have to wait, and that last person is not thrilled." While Sen. Boxer does not have other cosponsors for her bill as yet, NNU nurses will be seeking those co-sponsorships from their own U.S. Senators and also asking members of the House to support the bill. Advocating for patients is not an issue confined to California or any other individual state, and passage of national safe staffing legislation will signal improved conditions for nurses and their patients no matter what the larger healthcare reform effort brings. —Donna Smith MARCH 2010

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