ST PAUL, Minn. — Nurses, administrators and members of the public testified Wednesday in the first hearing for the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
The bill, which drew opposition and support to the State Capitol, calls for the creation of two new hospital committees that would establish requirements for nurse staffing and address issues around retention and patient care.
Supporters of the bill have said the approach would allow individual hospitals to set and adjust staffing levels on a local level, based on the expertise of bedside nurses at that facility.
A nurse with Abbott Northwestern said the bill would ensure patients receive the best care possible.
"The care that they are getting is by experienced staff — and enough staff —to address any crisis that comes up, and make sure that they are taken well care of and prepared to leave the hospital and not have to come back," said Kelley Anaas.
Critics argue the plan would create "unnecessary mandates" that could ultimately lead to "unit closures, rising costs, longer wait times for patients, and the loss of vital services."
"I don't think staffing should ever be legislated," added the vice president of acute care at Allina Health, Maribeth Olson. "It has to be individualized for the patients and we have a process already in place with a committee that reviews staffing needs."
The bill will now move on in the committee process.
Earlier this week, the Minnesota Nurses Association released a report outlining why hundreds of nurses left their bedside positions. Chronic understaffing was the primary reason most nurses said they left bedside care, and cited hospital management and burnout as other factors.
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