A new Safe Staffing bill, A8580A , was passed by the NY Assembly on Tuesday night that requires every hospital and nursing home in the state adopt minimum staffing requirements and establish nurse-to-patient ratios in all nursing units. The bill also requires that every healthcare facility submit annual staffing plans to the state Health Department and allow nurses to refuse assignments if the minimum staffing requirements have not been met.

Nurse staffing ratios have a direct impact on patient safety and the number of patients assigned to a nurse directly impacts the quality of care that each nurse can provide. If this bill is approved by the Senate, it will go a long way in improving patient care and reducing incidences of negative outcomes for healthcare facilities. However, the Senate is unfortunately not expected to approve the bill at this time.

A newly formed group called the Coalition for Safe & Affordable Care which represents hospitals, nursing homes, and insurers opposes this kind of nurse staffing legislation. The group believes that the bill would undermine patient care decisions, deny workforce flexibility in hospitals, and disrupt team-based care protocols. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the newly formed group is represented by lobbyist Tonio Burgos – who has advocated for groups like the Greater New York Hospital Association in the past.

California is currently the only state in the US that has enacted legislation for nurse staffing ratios in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York is hopeful that the bill will pass. She wants to prevent any scenario where a patient in a hospital or nursing home is left without care because a facility doesn’t have enough nurses on staff.

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NY state unions who represent nurses and patient rights groups have called on the Senate to vote on the bill before their legislative session ends later today. There are currently thirty-three members of the Senate who are sponsoring the bill. To express your view on the Safe Staffing bill, you can contact your local New York representative at the Campaign for Patient Safety.

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