Ballot Question 1, Patient-to-Nurse Limits

Both sides of Ballot Question 1, mandating nurse staffing limits for hospitals will be presented at the Rotary Club of Needham noon meeting on Tuesday October 30, 2018 at the Sheraton Needham Hotel luncheon. The Mass Nurses Assoc ( MNA) will be the proponents and the opponents will probably be the American Nurses Assoc ( ANA) but may be CEO of BID Needham Hospital, John Fogarty. Each side will briefly ( 10 minutes) present their position followed by a brief open question period. Visitors and guest are welcome and invited but Rotary Club of Needham will need advanced notice and registration to be able to properly accommodate everyone so please email needhamrotary@gmail.com.

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Question 1 would place a limit on the number of patients a single nurse can be assigned at a time and impose a $25,000 fine on hospitals that violate those ratios.

The exact ratios would vary depending on the hospital department and the type of patients for which the nurse is caring. For example, the maximum number of patients a nurse could be assigned in the pediatric department would be four, while the limit in the emergency services department would range between one and five, depending on the seriousness of the patients’ conditions.

As WGBH recently reported, nurses unions say the initiative, if passed, would result in increased safety and better overall outcomes for patients, while the hospital industry says it could result in longer wait times and even the closing of some hospitals.

Read the full initiative here.