FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Kate McLaughlin, NJ Safe Ratios
902-917-2327
njsaferatios@gmail.com

(Trenton, NJ- March 7, 2019, 9:00 AM) A coalition of nurses and advocates will rally outside of the State House Annex to demand safe staffing legislation be passed to protect patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

“For the past 17 years legislators have failed to pass meaningful legislation that would protect patients in our state’s hospitals and nursing homes,” said Kate McLaughlin who organized todays event. “While legislators have failed to hold these facilities responsible to at least provide a minimal number of trained providers to care for patients. In 2018, 95% of the hospitals were penalized for avoidable reimbursements from CMS and in 2105, 100% of the hospitals were penalized, this raises the cost to all of us at the end of the day. Understaffing in hospitals is directly linked to patient deaths and non-reimbursed readmissions. A 2010 study compared New Jersey Hospitals to California hospitals, if we had the staffing laws that California had there would have been 13.9% fewer deaths on medical surgical floors alone. Twenty years of research and 15 years of safe staffing laws in California have not only protected patients and improved outcomes, it also reduced nurses leaving the bedside, and reduced the cost of care. We must put the patients’ safety first. Legislators must put aside their conflicts of interest and act in the best interest of patients. We have not-for- profit mega hospital systems that are spending money on everything from sports complexes to the naming rights on buildings, all while not providing adequate number of nurses in their hospitals.”

The current nursing home regulations do not have a staff to patient ratios, the regulations require that patients receive 2.5 hours of basic care per day. There are additional requirements for patients that require ventilators, wound care or IV infusions. The nursing home bill would require that there is 1 nursing assistant for every 8 patients during the day, 1 nursing assistant per 10 patients in the evening and 1 nursing assistant for every 16 patients overnight. The bill has been stalled since passing the Senate floor vote in July 2018. The hospital legislation would require a nurse to patient ratios depending on the type of unit the patients is in, and who much care they would need. California enacted their law in 2004 which improved nurse retention during a time were the state was in facing a nursing shortage.

“Without enough staff providing care, patients are harmed. This legislation is vital because hospitals and nursing homes have failed for 17 years to move towards better staffing on their own,” she said. “Patients deserve to be treated humanely and with compassion.”

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