“It is clear that this law is needed to insure appropriate nursing staff is always in place,” Legislator Aney Paul said. “Nurses are on the front line when it comes to providing quality care. If there are more nurses, there is a better outcome for patients and the facility.”
Paul is the resolution's main sponsor. She has been a nurse for more than 30 years.
Carol Massaro, a registered nurse at Nyack Hospital and member of the New York State Nurses' Association, addressed the Legislature prior to the vote.
“As front-line nurses, we work hard to provide the best care for our patients even under the most difficult conditions,” said Massaro. “It is true, New York hospitals and nursing homes are facing a staffing crisis. Nurses are being forced to care for more patients, sometimes more than a dozen at one time, pushing nurses beyond their limits and putting patients at risk. We are stretched thin.”
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