Advocates Celebrate General Assembly Passage of "Safe Staffing Act" for Increased Patient Safety
Civic, labor, health care and patients' rights organizations that comprise the Patient Worker Collaborative for Safe Staffing today applauded the General Assembly for final passage of legislation that will increase patient safety, work to reduce emergency room wait times, increase health care worker retention, and likely save hospitals money.
The Safe Staffing Act (SB 411/ HB 624) will require Maryland hospitals to establish safe staffing committees, consisting of managers and care team workers, including environmental service workers, support staff, nurses, and physicians. Maryland joins nine states that already require hospitals to have safe staffing committees: Connecticut, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas.
Research has shown that longer stays in emergency rooms are associated with increased patient mortality and worse outcomes. Safe staffing means healthier patients, shorter hospital stays, and fewer readmissions, resulting in major savings for Maryland hospitals.
"The Safe Staffing Act ensures that hospital workers have a voice at the table, empowering those closest to the problem to drive smart informed solutions to critical staffing and safety issue," .said Ricarra Jones, political director, 1199SEIU. " Safe staffing saves lives—period. Every member of the care team, from environmental service workers cleaning patient rooms to patient care technicians drawing blood, deserves a voice in their hospitals staffing plan. Together, Maryland is leading the way on this issue in the nation.”
"This legislation is sorely needed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the people of Maryland,” said Sen. Malcolm Augustine, Senate bill sponsor. "When hospitals are understaffed, patients' lives are put at risk, and workers suffer. By including workers at the table where staffing decisions are made, the Safe Staffing Act will help improve patient safety and reduce ER wait times and worker burnout."
"We are so grateful to all the advocates who have toiled so hard over the past three years to get this bill passed," said Del. Jennifer White Holland, House bill sponsor. "The Safe Staffing Act is a tool to not only improve our ER wait times, but to also help make sure that Maryland stays competitive when it comes to retaining and recruiting quality health care workers in this time of severe worker shortages."
"Unsafe staffing puts patients and workers at risk every day," said Anna Palmisano, executive director, Marylanders for Patient Rights . "Maryland emergency patients have the longest emergency room wait times out of 50 states. The Safe Staffing Act will help to bring the knowledge and experience of frontline workers to bear on reducing ER wait time and improving overall quality of care."
"As the frontline workers in a hospital, nurses have valuable insights into how staffing policy should be set in order to improve operations and patient outcomes," said Jamie DeMarco, DeMarco Advocacy, on behalf of the Maryland Nurses' Association. "Seeking the input of staff who interface directly with the operations of the business can only improve the quality of care for patrons and alleviate worker burnout."
"The critical staffing shortage in Maryland hospitals just exacerbates the problem of long ER wait times. The Safe Staffing Act is the remedy," said Patty Snee, healthcare organizer, Progressive Maryland. "This legislation will give policymakers greater clarity on staffing strategies that improve patient care and worker retention. "
"The Safe Staffing Act requires hospitals to develop evidence-based staffing plans tailored to each hospital's needs," said Sara Westrick, advocacy director, AARP Maryland. "Older adults are among the highest hospital users in Maryland. Safe staffing plans will make sure patients are safe, protected, and well so they can go home to their loved ones."