WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
State Rep. Aaron Miller last week delivered testimony before the House Health Policy Committee in support of a bill he sponsored to require hospitals in Michigan to disclose nurse staffing ratios to the public.
Miller’s bill is part of a bipartisan package intended to combat the under-staffing of nurses, which results in some nurses being required to work 18-hour shifts and leaves many patients without proper care. Nurses who spoke in support of the legislation shared the concerns they have for patients who require constant care that current staffing levels cannot provide.
Miller believes sharing the staffing levels with the public is the right thing to do, and will help hold hospitals accountable.
Other components of the package require a hospital to create and implement a staffing plan for registered nurses in each unit of the hospital; require a hospital to form a staffing committee for each unit to assist in developing the plan; prohibit a hospital from requiring mandatory overtime for RNs; and allow the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to impose sanctions and fines against a hospital for violating the requirements within the bill.
House Bills 4629-4631 remain under consideration by the House Health Policy Committee.
