Nurse staffing ratios not good for patients
Every hour, every day, your local hospitals provide lifesaving care to everyone who comes through their doors. However, lawmakers in Springfield are considering a proposal - House Bill 2604 - that would take away the ability of local hospitals and health care professionals to decide how best to care for patients and keep health care close to home, where it should be.
This proposal - "mandatory nurse staffing ratios" - would dictate exactly how many patients a nurse can serve at any given time at every Illinois hospital. This rigid, one-size-fits-all approach ignores the seriousness of each patient's injury or illness and the skills, specialized training and experience of each nurse in a hospital unit.
The number of patients and their conditions, change quickly in hospitals. Local health care professionals need flexibility to adjust to properly staff the ER and hospital units. Healthcare shouldn't be boiled down to a simple set of numbers.
While supporters of ratios say it will help patients, it will do the opposite. Hospitals will have to lay off key support staff and reduce services. At critically busy times, when your local hospitals are needed most, they will be forced to divert patients further away to other hospitals to comply with the ratio mandate.
Illinois doesn't have enough nurses to meet the ratios - with a shortage of 21,000 nurses, and one-third of RNs planning to retire within five years.
On behalf of the more than 200 hospitals and health systems across the state, the Illinois Health and Hospital Association urges lawmakers to reject House Bill 2604 or any other proposal imposing nurse staffing ratios. It's not good for patients or health care.
A.J. Wilhelmi, President and CEO
Illinois Health and Hospital Association
Naperville