The North Bergen Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation at their meeting on Wednesday, May 8 supporting NJ healthcare workers in their negotiations for safe staffing ratios in their contract.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Specifically, the commissioners indicated they support healthcare workers attempting to resolve minimum staff to patient staffing through establishing safe standards in collective bargaining agreements.
They also expressed support for Assembly Bill No. 3683/Senate No. 2700 – The Patient Protection and Staffing Act where Assemblyman Will Sampson (D-31) is a sponsor – and urged the New Jersey Legislature to approve them.
There are approximately 146,840 licensed nurses in New Jersey, and only 78,340 are employed.
A 2022 survey of New Jersey nurses found that nearly a third of nurses have left hospitals in the past three years. Of those remaining in hospitals, 72% are considering leaving, and an alarming 95% of those with zero to five years of experience say they want to leave.
The number one reason nurses are leaving hospitals is poor staffing and the number two reason is burnout and stress.
Hospital nurse staffing ratios mandated in California 20 years ago are associated with better retention of nurses and lower turnover costs for hospitals.
These same staffing ratios are also associated with better patient outcomes, lower patient mortality, higher patient satisfaction, and higher reimbursement rates for hospitals.
