Leadership | 02.03.23
More States Propose Nurse Staffing, Ratio Laws
by Healthcare Dive
More and more state legislators are considering bills around nurse staffing this year after shortages and other workforce challenges have hampered hospitals during the pandemic. After failing to pass a similar bill last year, Washington state lawmakers are considering a bill centered around nurse-to-patient ratios this session. In Massachusetts, meanwhile, elected officials are readying a bill in partnership with the Massachusetts Nurses Association that would create nurse-to-patient ratios in each unit of acute care hospitals. In Oregon, meanwhile, lawmakers introduced a bill that would require nurses -- along with technical and service staff at hospitals -- to develop staffing committees. Other states already have varying staffing laws passed, most notably California. California's staffing law spells out exact nurse-to-patient ratios, stipulating exactly how many patients a nurse can be assigned to in certain units.
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