[lee1]

You can read specifics on the California Nurses Association site: http://www.calnurses.org/

[oramar]

In our local newspaper it says California just floated a 3 BILLION dollar bond issue for stem cell research. Why spend all this money on a long shot when you can't afford to pay for a safe bet. Nursing care is proven to save lives.

[pickledpepperRN]

Another thread on this subject: http://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83911


And a new link:
http://cbs5.com/news/local/2004/11/0...nt_Ratios.html

Nurses Dispute Governor’s Claim of Nurse-Patient Ratios

(KCBS / AP) - California nurses have accused hospitals of "crying wolf" over the high cost of state mandated nurse to patient ratios.
Last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed delaying a law which took effect last January that would reduce the nurse to patient ratio from six to five patients per nurse after hospitals argued the standard would be too costly to meet….

[virmm1]

It would be nice if the people who make these kinds of decisions had to be on the receving end of the high nurse pt ratios. It angers me to hear things like this.

[MandyInMS]

Originally Posted by virmm1

It would be nice if the people who make these kinds of decisions had to be on the receving end of the high nurse pt ratios. It angers me to hear things like this.

EXACTLY!!! and Auuuuunold would probably be the first to sue if things went south..grrrrrrrr

[chickie]

I wish I could get onto the web sights mentioned above. I can't believe after all the work the California nurses have done. Will he really be able to change the nurse/patient ratios in California?

[CHATSDALE]

glad he is in california

[Spidey's mom]

Originally Posted by oramar

In our local newspaper it says California just floated a 3 BILLION dollar bond issue for stem cell research. Why spend all this money on a long shot when you can't afford to pay for a safe bet. Nursing care is proven to save lives.

I live in CA and this makes me angry. Stem cell research at a time when our schools are in trouble?

Bill Gates is one of the backers of the bill to fund stem cell research to the tune of 3 billion dollars - which would be a drop in the proverbial bucket to him and all the other rich people from Hollywood who asked taxpayers to pick up the bill.

I think our schools need the money.

As to the issue of nurse/patient ratio - there are alot of bugs to be worked out for my local rural hospital with only so many nurses who live here. Most of the time we are in compliance. But I only want to work part-time and I am not going to sacrifice my family to keep the hospital in compliance. And the other nurses, for the most part, agree. We use travelers alot and that is very costly for our small hospital. There is a nursing shortage which we are trying to address by "growing our own". We have an LVN program affiliated with a community college and the classes and clinical are taught by one of our own nurses. We have a CNA program. We have a LVN to RN bridge program. But there are only 3000 people in this whole valley. It is hard to find new nurses to meet the ratios.

steph

[fergus51]

In all fairness, I don't live in Holywood and I voted for the stem cell research prop. Our unit is almost always in compliance with the ratio laws and it's a nice thing. We used the same ratios in the NICU in Canada too, without any law mandating it. I think it's amazing what hospitals can do when someone lights a fire under their butts. Until then they will come up with excuses and never work to fix the problem.

[pickledpepperRN]

I haven't lived in Hollywood for years. I did not vote for the stem cell research proposition.
First there were no guarantees no cells from an aborted fetus would be used. (Frozen embryos the parents don't plan to implant already exist)

The tax money could end up with venture capitalists and corporations who can deny treatments to those who can't pay. (Assuming wonderful cures)

As posted we have evidence that the less other patients you have to share your nurse with the better your chance of surviving. (Aiken study, failure to rescue) Lets have enough ntaff to save those who are in our hospitals NOW.