NewsBriefs
ARIZONA RNS CAMPAIGN FOR RATIO BILL
s one rn said, Arizona had never
seen anything like it. Nearly a hundred registered nurses from across
the Grand Canyon state converged in
Phoenix on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, to rally
and march at the Capitol in support of an
RN-to-patient ratio bill pending in the Legislature and pay visits to lawmakers reminding
them that "RNs are the heart of patient care."
HB 2041, introduced by House member
Tom Prezelski under the sponsorship of
CNA/NNOC, is also known as the Arizona
Patient Protection Act and would set man-
A
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REGISTERED NURSE
dated, numerical staffing ratios, increase
whistle-blower protections for RNs who
report unsafe staffing, and make explicit the
right and duty of RNs to act as
patient advocates. It is modeled
after California's first-in-thenation ratio legislation that has
been in effect since 2004 and is
credited with improving patient
safety, bringing nurses back to the bedside,
and reducing attrition.
"For years we fought to bring nurse-topatient ratios to California," said Rose Ann
DeMoro, executive director of CNA/NNOC
at the rally. "Since the legislatures in many of
the states are not taking things into their own
hands, the nurses are taking
action to change this healthcare
system and make it safe for
patients."
Arizona RNs report that they
are overwhelmed by patient
assignments and fear for their patients' safety. They also wish they had more time to do
the teaching that they know must happen to
prevent patients from winding up back in the
ARIZONA
W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G
MARCH 2008
