California Nurse-Patient Ratio Law Completes Phase-In [View All]

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/7617

By Doug Cunningham

The New Year has brought new nurse-patient ratios in California to help insure safe patient care. After years of advocacy by the California Nurses Association, the state’s safe hospital staffing law is on the books and completes its phase-in period in 2008. The law requires minimum nurse to patient staffing levels in several different hospital units in California. It’s a national issue as well, with nurses’ unions around the country advocating that other states adopt minimum nurse-patient ratios for safe and quality care. The CNA says the nurse staffing law is working to save lives, allowing nurses to be strong advocates for patients and is bringing more nurses into the profession in California. The CNA has proposed similar laws in Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Maine, and Arizona.