OFNHP/AFT Healthcare NW Local 5017 continued to activate members this spring in the ongoing effort to improve patient care and working conditions for nurses in Oregon hospitals.
The 2009 legislative campaign started last fall with an OFNHP/AFTNW-sponsored forum held on Nov. 17, 2008 at the Kennedy School in Portland. The room was packed and many RNs shared their concerns with State Reps. Brad Witt and Chip Shields. Rounding out the panel was Verna Porter, President of the Oregon Alliance for Retired Americans.
SB564 HEARING
In January, a Safe Staffing Bill (SB564) was reintroduced in the Senate Health Care and Veterans Committee chaired by Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson. After much anticipation, a 50-person delegation organized by OFNHP/AFTNW traveled to Salem for the committee hearing on March 26, 2009.
Several RNs from our group testified, making the case that mandated RN-to-patient staffing ratios would lead to improvements in patient care and better working conditions for nurses. In addition, several members of SEIU spoke in favor, advocating that the ratios cover not just RNs but all hospital staff who provide direct patient care.
Bruce Corkum, RN from Kaiser Sunnyside, and University of Oregon’s Dr. Gordon Lafer both presented statistics showing that mandated minimum nurse-to-patient ratios would help alleviate the so-called nurse shortage by improving working conditions and thereby nurse retention rates. Senator Bill Morrisette was not surprised by the statistics, commenting that six nurse relatives of his had left the profession.
After the March 26 hearing, OFNHP President Kathy Geroux provided additional information to committee members to educate them about actual staffing trends in Oregon hospitals and to refute the idea that California’s staffing ratios law is not working.
LENGTHY PROCESS
As experienced in other states, fighting for safe staffing ratio legislation can be a lengthy process. The efforts of our local union in this campaign date back to 2001, when OFNHP/AFTNW questioned the lack of enforcement for HB2800, the staffing committee bill that had just been passed in the Oregon State Legislature. OFNHP/AFTNW fought hard for stronger patient care language and better enforcement during the implementation phase after revisions to HB2800 were passed in 2005.
Two years ago, during Oregon’s 2007 legislative session, OFNHP/AFTNW cosponsored Safe Staffing Bill HB3416, which would have mandated minimum RN-to-patient ratios for all of Oregon’s acute care hospitals. A thousand RNs from United Nurses of Legacy actively supported the bill but there was strong opposition from the hospital industry and the Oregon Nurses Association. Unfortunately, that bill never made it out of committee.
Fast-forward to 2009. The Senate Health Care and Veterans’ Affairs Committee had until April 24 to recommend SB564 to the floor for a vote by the whole Senate, and despite OFNHP/AFTNW's lobbying and education efforts, failed to do so. According to legislative staffers, the primary reason was financial, given that drastic cuts are being made to the Department of Health Services’ budget at this time.
RNs GIVEN A VOICE
Despite setbacks, OFNHP/AFTNW knows that sponsoring these Safe Staffing Bills and rallying support among legislators and the public is a worthwhile effort. Through this process RNs have had a chance to voice their deepest concerns and educate elected officials about the challenges facing professional nurses today. They have been able to speak up about real-life, on-the-job experiences, and raise critical issues that likely will not be raised by high-paid hospital industry lobbyists. Nurses know best what is happening in acute care hospitals today and speak with authority about their needs.
AFT Healthcare NW is committed to the ongoing struggle to win better working conditions for nurses and safer patient care in Oregon's acute care hospitals. OFNHP/AFTNW will continue to build support for mandated RN-to-patient staffing ratios both inside and outside the state legislature and expects to again sponsor a safe staffing bill in the next legislative session. Stay tuned for future developments!
National legislation would set RN-to-patient ratios
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act on May 13 to protect the rights of nurses to advocate on behalf of their patients, set minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals, and invest in training nurses to address the current nationwide nursing shortage.
Boxer followed the lead of Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) who reintroduced similar legislation, the Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act (HR 2273), May 6 in the House.
Boxer’s bill would:
establish specific nurse-to-patient ratios;
provide whistleblower protections to protect the rights of nurses to advocate for the safety of patients and report violations of minimum standards of care;
create a standard for helping nurses to lift patients to prevent on-the-job injuries; and
create a Registered Nurse Workforce Initiative within the Health Resources and Services Administration that invests in the education of nurses and nursing faculty.
Video: Testimony from 2008 Staffing Forum
Share this clip to help spread the word about the need for RN-to-Patient Ratios in Oregon.
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Safe Staffing Forum a Success!
Continuing Education: Making the Case for Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
AFT Healthcare has launched a new web site that offers online continuing education courses for health professionals. Many health professions require continuing education for re-licensure, in order to ensure quality and competence. The first course, "Making the Case for Nurse-to-Patient Ratios," is now available for continuing education credits. To enroll, visit AFT Healthcare's Web Learning Center.
Healthcare Professionals Speak Out about Short Staffing
"Short staffing affects the quality of care I am able to provide because when I have five patients or more, my patients have to wait longer for everything. Everything from simple education, discharge instructions, assessments, medications, call lights, comfort and compassion, as well as urgent or even life-threatening waits. My patients should not have their safety compromised.
Stephanie Martinsen
Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center, Med/Surg
"I've been a health professional for 4 years."
"In a normal shift I care for 3-5 patients."
Safe staffing ratios, like those outlined in SB 564, would help improve patient care:
Patient deaths go down when staffing goes up. All indications of patient safety and satisfaction go up when staffing goes up. This is so crucial, so essential.
Follow the links below to learn how RN Leaders from Legacy, OFNHP and AFT Healthcare Northwest Organizing Project are successfully working toward creating a safer environment for hospital employees and patients.
Senate Bill 564 is a minimum staffing ratio bill introduced into the 2009 Oregon State legislative session by OFNHP / AFT Healthcare Northwest Local 5017 in an effort to improve nurses' working conditions and patient safety in Oregon's acute care hospitals. Overwhelming support for a similar 2007 legislative initiative was reflected in a resolution which passed with 100% support of United Nurses of Legacy leaders and the Executive Board of OFNHP / AFTNW. It was also overwhelmingly approved by our sister union, AFT State Council, made up of thousand of community college and classifies employees, and identified as one of their top ten legislative priorities.
The 2009 legislative campaign started last fall with an OFNHP/AFTNW-sponsored forum held on Nov. 17, 2008 at the Kennedy School in Portland. The room was packed and many RNs shared their concerns with State Reps. Brad Witt and Chip Shields. Rounding out the panel was Verna Porter, President of the Oregon Alliance for Retired Americans. 
"Short staffing affects the quality of care I am able to provide because when I have five patients or more, my patients have to wait longer for everything. Everything from simple education, discharge instructions, assessments, medications, call lights, comfort and compassion, as well as urgent or even life-threatening waits. My patients should not have their safety compromised.
