Nurses from United Nurses of Legacy and the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals/AFT Healthcare NW came to the state capital of Salem in March to testify before lawmakers on the need for safe staffing legislation.

RNs Linda Boly (at microphone) and Donell Owens, right, testify on safe staffing. OFNHP photo.

The nurses have been working with state lawmakers to introduce the Safe Staffing Act (H.B. 3416), which mandates a maximum number of patients that can be assigned to an individual registered nurse and establishes measures to ensure public access to this critical information.

Patient safety is the number one concern for RNs, especially if they are assigned too many patients to care for at a time. “When we don’t have enough staffing there are mistakes and unsafe conditions,” says Linda Boly, an RN at Legacy Good Samaritan in Portland. “We face this daily all over the hospital.”

Donell Owens, an RN at Kaiser Sunnyside in Clackamas, Ore., agrees. “If you are tied up and dealing with alarms, you could easily miss someone having a crisis down at the end of the hall. You can’t be five places at one time and when you are responsible for too many patients you are looking at a dangerous situation.”

United Nurses of Legacy members have raised serious concerns about under staffing in their facilities, and are currently organizing a union to give them a stronger voice in enforcing nurse-patient ratios once this bill becomes law.

“Introducing HB 3416 is a great moment and the beginning of something that is so wonderful for the nursing profession and patients,” says Kathy Geroux, RN and president of OFNHP/AFT Healthcare NW. “For the sake of patients, there needs to be enough nurses to ensure quality care. H.B. 3416 would make that happen.” (April 2007)