In conjunction with National Nurses Day, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) announced new federal legislation that sets mandatory nurse-to-patient staffing standards to protect patients in healthcare facilities. The Nurse Staffing for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004 establishes minimum staffing levels for different hospital units. Once these minimums are met, hospitals will be required to develop staffing plans, in consultation with staff, to meet patient needs in the hospital. Adequate staffing is the number one issue for the more than 3.5 million nurses around the country and has long been the focus of reform and lobbying efforts by the United Steelworkers and other labor organizations.

Many hospitals have too few nurses caring for too many patients, leading to thousands of preventable patient deaths and injuries. In partnership with the AFL-CIO, the National Consumer League (NCL) released a poll that investigated the relationship between nurse staffing and patient safety. The survey found 45 percent or nearly half of those who have had direct hospital experience in the past two years believe that their safety or that of a family member was compromised by inadequate nurse staffing levels. More than one-third report not receiving important elements of care in a timely fashion and more than three-quarters support legislative action to improve nurse-to-patient staffing standards.

"Nurses are leaving the profession due to inadequate – and frequently, unsafe – staffing," said Holly Celaschi, RN, of the United Steelworkers. "Short staffing puts both the patients and the nurses at risk; only through this type of legislation can we ensure our patients’ safety. This truly demonstrates the role of unions in the healthcare arena and how they enable us to actively work as advocates for our patients and our profession."

Several states have implemented safe staffing standards legislation in response to this critical issue being spotlighted by labor unions to help recruit and retain nurses. In California, staffing standards went into effect this January and subsequently, the number of people applying for nurse certification in the state rose by 18 percent. Kaiser Permanente voluntarily enacted ratios in July 2001 and as a result, the Northern California branch of Kaiser hired 71 percent more new nurses and the number of nurses quitting declined by 47 percent from January to October 2002.

Through the efforts of healthcare unions, such as the Health Care Workers Council of the United Steelworkers, lawmakers are finally taking notice.

Representative Schakowsky’s bill establishes minimum direct care Registered Nurse-to-patient ratios, the key to reducing nurses’ excessive workloads and improving patient outcomes.

The burden now rests with members of Congress to support federal legislation that protects patients in every state.

To contact your local legislator about this important policy you can use the Contact Congress button at the top right of this page. Simply type in your zip code and hit go for a list of your local representatives.