Legislation targets nurse-to-patient ratios

State Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17, of Upper Merion, is crafting legislation that would establish minimum registered nurse-to-patient ratios in Pennsylvania medical facilities.

"Various reports in recent years have found that insufficient staffing has a direct correlation to lives lost in patient care," said Leach in a release. "(The Pennsylvania Hospital Patient Protection Act of 2009) will set a standard that medical facilities must comply with, and will ensure that we as a state are doing our best to provide safe care to our patients — and a safe working environment to our health workers."

The law would also provide "whistle-blower" protections to health-care workers that speak out about unsafe patient-care conditions. State Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington County, introduced similar legislation in the state House in January....

http://www.pennanurses.org/news/2009/PA_Ratios.html