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07.20.2006
The
Safe RN Staffing bill in California is Working!
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Minimum nurse staffing levels have been in effect in California
critical care units for over 30 years
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Minimum nurse staffing levels throughout all hospital
units have been in effect for nearly 2 ½ years
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No hospital has closed because of these limits
during this time and they are working just fine according
the state health officials and other observers:
".
. . there seems to be no negative impact on the healthcare
system...Our data shows that hospitals have been able
to meet the lower ratios"
~ Sabrina Demayo Lockhart, Calif. Health and Human Services
Agency
As reported, New York Times, Friday, November 11, LA Times,
Saturday November 12
“hospitals
had to follow the new rules and discovered they were not
as burdensome as they had feared”
~ LA Times, November 12, 2005
“We
had 10 months of experience with the court-mandated ratios
and there seems to be no negative impact on the healthcare
system. Our data shows that hospitals have been able to
meet the lower ratios,”
~ Sabrina Demayo Lockhart, spokeswoman, (California) Health
and Human Services Agency
Los Angeles Times, November 12, 2005
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Passage of the law has brought nurses back to hospital
bedside care and increased the number of those entering
the profession:
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The number of actively licensed RNs in California
increased by more than 60,000 following enactment
of the staffing ratio law, from 246,068 as of June
30, 1999 to 306,140 as of December 30, 2005. (Board
of Registered Nursing data)
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Since the ratio law was signed, the number
of actively licensed RNs has grown by nearly 10,000
a year, compared to just 3,200 a year prior to the
law. (BRN data). At the time the law was passed, the
BRN was predicting the annual increase would be just
2,000 a year in the coming years.
- The
increase in the number of actively licensed
RNs in California was almost seven
times more than the total number state health officials
said would be needed for the ratios for general
medical/surgical units.
- A
sharp reversal in the trend of RNs entering and leaving
California.
- Big
gains in the number of new graduate and foreign trained
applicants who take and pass the RN exam and become
new licensees each year in California.
- A
60 percent increase in RN applications
in the years following enactment of the law.
- Many
of California’s biggest hospital systems, including
Kaiser Permanente, Catholic Healthcare West, and University
of California have had enormous success in hiring
new RNs over the past two years—and seen their
turnover and vacancy rates fall below 5%.The national
average ranges from about 15%–25%.
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Canton
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02021
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