Celebrate Nurses Week by Calling for Safe Staffing!

[Julia RN]

Keep the food and flowers. Call your Representative in Congress ask them to support safe staffing during National Nurses Week!

Here's how:

1. Find out if your Representative is a co-sponsor of the Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2007.

Go to http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR02123:@@@P to check. If you are not sure who represents you in Congress, go to https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml and enter your zip-code.

2. Call the Capitol switchboard and ask to be connected to your member of Congress- [phone].

3. If your member IS a co-sponsor, thank them for their support.

If your member IS NOT a co-sponsor, use or personalize the message below to ask them to sign on to the bill:

"I am calling to ask that the Representative co-sponsor H.R. 2123, The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2007.

Appropriate staffing is the number one concern of nurses today and is critical to the delivery of safe patient care.

Unsafe Staffing compromises patient care and contributes to the nursing shortage by creating an environment that drives nurses from the bedside.

Providing enough nurses is the most reliable and cost-effective way to ensure high-quality care which protects both patient and staff and decreases preventable hospital deaths.

H.R. 2123 would hold hospitals accountable for the development and implementation of reliable nurse staffing plans that must meet newly established minimum direct care registered nurse-to-patient ratios.

These staffing plans would be created in coordination with nurses themselves, adjust staffing levels based on acuity of patients and other factors, and ensure quality care and patient safety.

Nurses and patients need your support. Please co-sponsor H.R. 2123"

Through collective action, we will make a difference!

Get more information about H.R. 2123, The Safe Nurse Staffing for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2007

Bill Summary and Status http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.02123:

Bill Text http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2123:

See also: http://capwiz.com/criticalcare/issues/bills/?bill=10365041

[GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN]

Great post and links, thanks!!

[Julia RN]

You're welcome.

Was reading post about the ratios in LTC- had no idea how bad it was. We really need to legislation to address staffing in those facilitiies- as well as home care, schools, etc. This bill is a start...