District 1199NM
District 1199NM
National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees
 

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The SAFE STAFFING ACT of 2014 (House Bill 83)
Jan 09, 2015

The SAFE STAFFING ACT of 2014 (House Bill 83) will give NURSES the Voice we need to help establish policy at our own hospitals.

 

Through the CURRENT LAW (the New Mexico Nursing Practice Act), nurses are charged to be accountable for safe and effective nursing care … as well as be the advocate for their patients, patients’ families and the community.

 

It is time they are given a say in developing the rules to do their job.

 

And we have a plan to assure that the voices of nurses throughout the state of New Mexico are heard through their participation in establishing staffing plans for their patients.

 

The SAFE STAFFING ACT of 2014 (House Bill 83) has been filed by Representative Christine Trujillo of Albuquerque. It is expected that Representative Rick Miera and Senator Linda Lopez will also sign on and file a Senate Bill respectively.

 

Please read the information below and the attached copy of HB 83. Then call your legislator and let she or he know that the time has come for you to be given the voice that will help deliver better outcomes for your patients.

 

And also get in touch with us at the following numbers, website and email addresses:

 

Santa Fe Office Phone #: 505-780-8272

Albuquerque Office Phone #: 505-884-7713

Website: http://www.nmhospitalworkersunion.com/

 

HERE ARE A FEW TESTIMONIALS TO THE NEED FOR NURSES VOICES TO BE HEARD:

 

In a study completed for Cornell University and entitled: Case Studies of Fletcher Allen Health Care, Kaiser Permanente, and Montefiore Medical Center’s Care Management Company, LLC(Researched and written by Peter Lazes, Liana Katz, and Maria Figueroa February 28, 2012) it is clear that front line nurses need to be involved in the development of policies regarding hospital care for patients:

“In the wake of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in March 2010, many healthcare systems are developing innovative ways to improve the quality of the services they provide while simultaneously controlling costs. However, front-line staff— including nurses, physicians, residents, allied health professionals, social workers, environmental services workers, and clerical workers—are often excluded from the development of such initiatives. 

 

Yet, the inclusion of front-line staff in quality improvement and cost containment work is crucial. They are often the employees with the most intimate knowledge regarding where everyday work processes break down, and they also tend to have the best handle on viable solutions. Furthermore, to effect change successfully in complex healthcare systems requires commitment and input from all organizational stakeholders…”


"The research is clear and unequivocal, the most important factor contributing to the health and safety of patients while they are in the hospital is the number of patients your nurse is assigned to care for during his or her shift."  "The fact is patients in our hospitals are at greater risk because they are being forced to share their nurse with too many other patients at the same time…As a result, hospitals are forcing nurses to ration care, placing patients' health in jeopardy.”  - Donna Kelly-Williams, President, Massachusetts Nursing Association/National Nurses United


"A prominent 2010 University of Pennsylvania study comparing California hospitals to New Jersey and Pennsylvania hospitals found that New Jersey hospitals would have 14 percent fewer patient deaths and Pennsylvania 11 percent fewer deaths if they matched California's ratios in surgical units, and fewer California RNs miss changes in patient conditions because of their workload, and nurses have more confidence that patients can manage on their own after discharge."  - National Nurses United Press Release, 5/8/13

 

Remember The SAFE STAFFING ACT of 2014 (House Bill 83) will give us the Voice we need to help establish policy at our own hospitals, so contact legislators and ask them to vote YES.

Go to the following website to find your House and Senate Legislators contact information:

http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislator_search.aspx




 

 


Download:
New Mexico Hospital Workers Union
6201 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 201
Albuquerque, NM 87110
  505.884.7713

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