NJ Nurses Demand Safe Staffing Law In Hospitals: ‘Stop The Bleeding’

NEW JERSEY — They’re “overworked.” They’re “overburdened.” And if you ever find yourself lying in a New Jersey hospital bed, they’re the ones who will be fighting to keep you safe, advocates say.

On Thursday, a coalition of unionized health care workers rallied in Trenton to push for a proposed law that would put more nurses in hospitals across the state.

Doreen Jones, a registered nurse and a member 1199J member at the Jersey City Medical Center, said she has been working bedside taking care of patients for more than 31 years, and she’s learned that the staffing shortage plaguing hospitals across the state is something that many nurses know all too well.

“I lived it and still living it,” Jones remarked.

“A state staffing ratio mandate will solve this problem,” she continued. “There will be a time when you will be in that bed, or I will be in that bed and wish that we have the nursing staff to take care of us.”

This plea is resounding among nurses all over New Jersey, according to Debbie White, a registered nurse and president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), of the unions that spearheaded the protest.

“Our health care system is in crisis as we continue to lose these dedicated health care heroes to burnout and stress,” White insisted. “Patients are suffering – we must stop the bleeding.”

If it becomes law, S304/A4536 would create minimum nursing staffing levels in state hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, developmental centers and psychiatric hospitals.

Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios would vary depending on the type of unit, and would range from one registered professional nurse for every five patients in a behavioral health or psychiatric or a medical/surgical unit, to one registered professional nurse for every patient under anesthesia in an operating room.

The law wouldn’t decrease any existing nurse-to-patient staffing ratios that are already in effect. The state commissioner of health would be able to waive the requirements for any hospital or facility that they determine is in “financial distress.”

The law would be enforced by periodic inspections and responses to complaints.

As part of the campaign to pass the bill, HPAE released a position paper dubbed “Code Red: Understaffed. Overworked. Unsafe for Everyone.” Read it here.

According to the HPAE, current staffing regulations in New Jersey – which offer coverage only in ICU or critical care units – have not been updated since 1987. And over the past few decades, more and more nurses are getting sick of the job they once loved.

A study done in 2022 showed that nearly a third of nurses have left their jobs at hospitals in the past three years. Of those remaining, about three in four have recently considered leaving the profession.

The number one reason behind the workplace exodus? “Poor staffing,” the report says. Read More: NJ Nurses Are Quitting In Droves, Union Says – Here's Why

New Jersey law requires hospitals to compile and report information on the number of staff involved in direct patient care. See local data here.

On Thursday, a chorus of health care workers and union leaders spoke in favor of the proposed staffing law, urging lawmakers to get it over the finish line.

“Our nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system,” NJ AFL-CIO President Charlie Wowkanech said. “But current staffing levels are threatening our health care system’s ability to provide the level of care we need, and it is taking its toll on already strained health care workers.”

“Unfortunately, some hospitals are opposed to improving staffing ratios because they are choosing to prioritize profits, even as we reach a post-pandemic health care staffing crisis point,” Wowkanech added. “[This bill] would establish the fair patient-to-nurse ratios we need to improve our health care system.”

Other community leaders who spoke out included:

Elfrieda Johnson, president of JNESO District Council 1 IUOE-AFL-CIO – “We need this bill because, safe staffing saves lives and increases job satisfaction. When we are working, we try to do our best to provide optimal care to ensure patient satisfaction. When we don’t have adequate nurse-to-patient ratios it can cause patient care to be compromised leading to job burnout and, in some cases, resulting in nurses leaving their career earlier than planned.”

Barbara Jones, vice president of the board at JNESO District Council 1 IUOE-AFL-CIO – “There are already staffing ratios in areas like the ICU and labor and delivery, so there is no reason why ratios shouldn’t be mandated to help the nurses in other units like Med-Surg and the ER that are overwhelmed and struggling to give the best care because they don’t have ratios in place. That is why we need safe staffing ratios, once they are mandated they have to be followed which puts the needs of the patients – and nurses — first.”

Lisa Ruiz, registered nurse at the Shore Nurses Union (NYSNA) – “The quality of care that patients receive when understaffed can be unsafe. We demand safe staffing ratios for every patient. Approximately, two thirds of the nurses in the country are projected to leave the profession in the next two years. Safe staffing ratios will help to retain experienced RNs and recruit new RNs to the bedside.”

HPAE Local 5105 president Sheryl Mount, a registered nurse at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly – “We have asked for solutions, but the situation has only worsened and become a crisis that threatens our very health system. You have to wonder how long it will be before the system is so broken that it just won’t be there for the people who need it. There’s a lot of work to do to fix the profession and the health care system. We are not heroes; we just want to do our jobs safely and professionally.”

Judy Danella, RN, USW Local 4-200 – “Unfortunately, I’m a dying breed because no one is staying at the bedside for 30 years anymore. We need safe staffing for our patients and for caregivers. You can’t have a nurse in the emergency room with nine to 13 to 15 patients and expect that patient to get the care that they need.”

Michele Liebtag of CWA 1036 – “Making sure hospitals and other medical facilities have a safe number of staff to care for our loved ones affects every New Jerseyan – rich or poor, old and young, on all sides of the political divide. This is an issue of savings lives and improving medical outcomes for everyone. As the Union representing regulators at the NJ Department of Health who inspect medical facilities and investigate complaints of short staffing, our members see the critical need to improve staffing. We stand with our union brothers and sisters to ensure hospitals are doing the right thing by the public, patients and everyone working in these facilities.”

• See Related: Nursing Shortage Looming As NJ Struggles To Fill Positions: Report
• See Related: NJ Nurses Push For Hazard Pay, 'Safe Staffing' Amid Pandemic

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