The National Nurses Organizational Commitee (NNOC) has organized a petition here in Ohio. The goal is to lower the nurse patient ratio in several areas. If you feel you may be interested in helping this cause, please go to www.NNOC.net, there you will find a printable version of this petition. Please also feel free to take this and obtain signatures. The only requirement is that the person signing be a registered voter in the state of Ohio. If the required amount of signatures is received, this petition will be sent to Columbus to Governor Strickland. Also it is very helpful to write your local representatives in Columbus. To find out who your local State representative is in your District go to www.google.com and type in "Ohio House of Representatives", click on the link that says (something like) find your representative, then simply type in your zip code. If you already know who your representative is, you may write them at: 77 S. High St, Columbus, OH 43215.
I've read hundreds of blogs already about staffing, we've all been there. Now it's time to make a change. When I became a nurse, I took a vow to be an advocate, to speak for those who could not speak for themselves, to take care of those who could not do it alone. By 2010, 78 million baby boomers will be in some form of nursing establishment. If you live in Ohio, or know someone who does, please forward this message! My name is Darlene.
yesterday the ohio national nurses organizing committee held its first media event to discuss the ohio patient protection act of 2008. we were very fortunate to be joined by linda fearer and steve cagan who told their personal experiences to the press. we were very well received! this is just the beginning of a long and uphill battle against the oha for safe hospital care in ohio. nnoc ohio rn’s will spend the summer educating the public, gaining the support of community allies and visiting with legislators to increase support for this much needed legislation.
the ohio patient protection act would provide minimum mandated nurse to patient ratios that are unit specific. these numbers can be improved upon based upon patient need as determined the independent professional judgment of the registered nurse. in addition, ohppa would provide safe floating standards and much needed whistleblower protection.
below is just a sampling of the media coverage received:
cleveland - patients are dying because nurses are being mistreated and overworked,” stated adrian zurup, a registered nurse from cleveland, as she kicked off a june 15 rally here by the national nurse’s organizing committee.
the nnoc is supporting a bill in the state legislature, titled the ohio patients’ protection act, which would raise the ratio of nurses to patients in hospitals.
“some nurses are forced to care for as many as 13 patients at one time. we say that this just cannot be safe for patients, said michelle mahon. “we work with the patients, we advocate for them and we said that we cannot do an adequate job for 13 patients at one time. we need standards that establish three to four patients per nurse.”
“we have restrictions on the number of kids in a classroom, on the number of fish we can catch and on how many can ride a bus,” said terry gallagher, another nurse. “but there are no standards on how many patients nurses can be assigned to take care of. our priorities are off.”
linda fear of youngstown, spoke about her husband’s death, after being released prematurely from the hospital. “the nurse on duty said that there was no way that he should’ve been released, but the hospital is interested only in the bottom line, not people.”
when asked by a corporate media representative whether “passing the legislation would just lead hospitals to cut other jobs, michelle mahon replied that “the press should be asking hospitals what their spending priorities are. these are multi-million dollar hospitals that are providing inadequate care because they overwork and understaff but the top officials are becoming rich at our expense.”
steve cagan, a recent hospital patient from cleveland, described how the overworking/understaffing of nurses affected him. “there is absolutely no shortage of nurses. there are plenty of nurses in ohio, but they are treated miserably by hospitals and don’t stay.”
“we’ll face powerful corporate opponents when this bill is introduced, and we’ll be attacked by them,” said rhonda risner hanos, a registered nurse from dayton. “nurses will lead this fight and we’ll have powerful friends, as well.” it is expected that the ohio patient protection act will be introduced, with strong support from the afl-cio and others, within a month.
two weeks ago, i wrote about a friend who went into the hospital for surgery on her leg and ended up with the horrible, hospital-acquired infection known as c. diff.
the toxic gastrointestinal disease was so bad, doctors had to remove her colon in middle-of-the-night, emergency surgery. not long afterward, she died.
dozens of you called and wrote about your own hospital horror stories.
one man stifled sobs as he described the needless death of his mother-in-law, a death he attributes to poor care.
"it was awful," he said, apologizing for his tears. "just awful."
others wrote of how hard it is to find a nurse when you need one, how family ends up taking care of sick mothers and wives and children -- their roommates, too -- because nobody else is around to help.
"it's criminal what's going on in our health-care systems," one woman wrote.
and she's a nurse. one of many i heard from.
"it has saddened and amazed me to learn how the real world of health care actually works," another nurse wrote in an e-mail, "and how there is a culture of silence that exists among many, many health-care professionals.
"for those few of us that do speak up for the benefit of the patient, we oftentimes get a 'bad reputation.' i have been told by a nursing director that i was 'too much of a patient advocate.' she meant it as a negative."
and from another: "after years of seeing my own patients suffer everything from morbid complications to indignities, i made the decision to leave bedside nursing. it was a tough decision. i have many years of my working life left and love applying my skills and knowledge to patient care. what i did not love was the feeling of starting and ending every shift knowing that i was leaving necessary assessment, education and interventions undone."
those are a few of the reasons some nurses want ohio to pass a law limiting the number of patients they have to care for.
they've got a proposal nearly ready. they call it the ohio hospital patient protection act of 2008. and they're hoping legislators will introduce it later this year.
Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
[color=#752222]ohio nurses, hospitals at odds over patient-ratio proposal
"...it's criminal what's going on in our health-care systems," one woman wrote.
and she's a nurse. one of many i heard from.
"it has saddened and amazed me to learn how the real world of health care actually works," another nurse wrote in an e-mail, "and how there is a culture of silence that exists among many, many health-care professionals.
"for those few of us that do speak up for the benefit of the patient, we oftentimes get a bad reputation.' i have been told by a nursing director that i was too much of a patient advocate.' she meant it as a negative." ...
I am currently reading a book by Suzanne Gordon Safety in Numbers (2008) ISBN: 9780801446832. This book addresses this issue about mandated staffing ratios in California (2004) and Victoria Australia (2000). The book clearly demonstrates that these laws do increase quality of care for patients. The author presents statistical evidence for the assertion that for each additional patient a RN cares for the higher rate of adverse outcomes including death. I would encourage every nurse to read this new book. The author has done extensive research and presents compelling arguments for staffing ratios. In addition, Gordon refutes the numerous hospital associations' argument that staffing ratios are not necessary when they have complex computer software determining staffing needs. I remember the author quoting a nurse stating that these programs can be skewed when determining staffing needs.
In regards to the Ohio media articles. The issue of a nursing shortage is also addressed in this book. It was demonstrated in both California and Victoria Australia that seasoned nurses returned to the bedside after ratios were instituted. Hospital associations presented the same slippery slope argument in the case of both states. Thus far, these states have not had an increase in the nursing shortage.
Personally, I feel ratios are a "work in progress" for California and Victoria. I feel it is a very good place to start. When a work environment improves, nurses that want to return to the bedside.
I am from a family of nurses, 2 CRNAs and 1 Pharmacovigilance BSN MSs. They all spoke with me about staff nursing and how uncomfortable it is to leave a loved one alone in a hospital. In fact, all three were concerned about their licenses in the 1990s so they went back for advanced practice degrees. They stated that I should read the book I mentioned above and many more by the same author to get a "flavor" for the current situation. They asserted that the situation would eventually find its way to Idaho, where I live. Hospitals are now truly a business and are being run as such.
So, as I await the birth by CS of my next grandchild, I plan to spend lots of quality time at my daughter's bedside. Not the fault of the RNs, but the simple fact they have too many patients to care for safely.
mdfog10
177 Posts
contact NNOC ! NNOC dotnet :))