NURSING: Pass the Safe Staffing Bill, San Jose Mercury News Says
Patients' needs "will best be met if the state sets minimum staffing standards that can be enforced on an objective basis," a San Jose Mercury News editorial argues. Writing in support of Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl's (D-Encino) "safe staffing" billAB 394, which will soon be brought up on the Assembly floor, the editorial argues that "today's cutthroat competition in the health care industry makes a strict standard necessary," despite hospitals' arguments to the contrary. Citing information provided by the California Nurses Association, the editorial notes that it normally "would not rely entirely on anecdotal evidence to call for stricter regulation ... [b]ut it's impossible to ignore the sheer volume of documented incidents that California nurses report." The editorial concludes, "We urge the Legislature to pass AB 394, and Gov. Gray Davis to sign this effort to ensure that hospital patients can rely on a staffing system that is reasonable and easily monitored by the state" (5/7).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.