Nurses keep fighting for safe-staffing ratios


By DEBORAH A. MILES On May 22, when PEF nurses meet


in Albany to talk to their state legislators, they will be pushing for the passage of the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act. The bill, if passed, would require New York hospitals and nursing homes to maintain safer nurse- staffing ratios. Michelle Finnerty,


a registered nurse (RN) at SUNY Upstate Medical University, has been there for 11 years and works in the pediatric recovery room. She’s hoping the bill will be passed. “Good nurse-


SUNY Upstate working in the post- anesthesia unit. “We need to support the new bill so


employers do not increase patient- acuity levels because of the mandatory overtime law. On the medical surgery floor, for example, a nurse would tend to five or six patients. Now, it’s increased to seven or eight. Employers need to rebalance the scale back in favor of the patients,” Banks said. A University of Pennsylvania study


provided new evidence in 2010 of how California’s landmark RN-to-patient staffing law reduces patient mortality, assures nurses spend more time with patients, and substantially promotes retention of experienced RNs. “This study and others have


FINNERTY


staffing ratios are vital for good patient care,” Finnerty said. “We have good staffing ratios in this unit. In the recovery room, we have a one-to-one ratio. That’s a critical time, during the post-surgical and post-anesthesia phase. Here, we can give a high level of quality care and directly know our patients. We know what’s going on with them, and we’re not getting burned out.” PEF Region 4


BANKS


Coordinator Peter Banks is an RN at


indicated the need for more qualified staff to be present. It benefits the patient. There are fewer negative outcomes, fewer deaths,” Banks said. PEF Region 11


Coordinator and Nurses Committee chair, Jemma Marie- Hanson, said it’s time New York lawmakers take this issue as seriously as the California lawmakers did. “Along with raising


MARIE-HANSON


the bar to a higher quality of care for our patients, the passage


of this bill may have other benefits,” Marie-Hanson said. “It would help


keep nurses on the job with less chance of burnout or compassion fatigue. “Many nurses are not working


because of the short-staffing issue. We could see a big increase in nurses coming back to the workforce, even on a part-time basis.” The bill is under consideration by


both the New York Senate and Assembly health committees. The legislative session ends June 21, so there is still time for the bills to move to floor votes. “That’s what we will be pushing for


on Nurses Lobby Day,” Marie-Hanson said.


TAX DAY PROTEST – PEFmembers and other labor and community groups gather at Clinton Square in Syracuse to oppose the tax breaks formillionairesApril 17.They called themselves “Team99%” and played a game of financial dodge ball with individuals posing as millionaires to demonstrate the unfairness of the law.Their street theater game was intended to draw attention to the fact that some of our country's largest and wealthiest corporations pay little or no federal taxes.They also protested at the Bank ofAmerica and Syracuse Federal Building.


—Photo by Peter Banks


Page 12—The Communicator May 2012


PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445


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