Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Declaring Support of Healthcare Workers
Purpose: Resolution of Support of Healthcare Workers to establish Minimum Staff to Patient Staffing Standards.
Sponsor(s): Council President, LaMonica R. McIver
Additional Information:
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WHEREAS, there are approximately 146,840 licensed nurses in New Jersey and only 78,340 are employed; and
WHEREAS, a 2022 survey of New Jersey nurses, found that nearly a third of nurses have left the bedside (hospitals) in the past three (3) years. Of those remaining in hospitals, 72% are considering leaving and an alarming 95% of those with 0-5 years of experience say they want to leave; and
WHEREAS, the number one reason nurses are leaving hospitals is poor staffing and the number two reason is burnout and stress; and
WHEREAS, understaffing at hospitals and other healthcare facilities has been an issue for decades and has lead to a severe crisis of retention of staff in our hospitals; and
WHEREAS, hospital nurse staffing ratios mandated in California twenty (20) years ago are associated with better retention of nurses and lower turnover costs for hospitals; and
WHEREAS, hospital nurse staffing ratios mandated in California are also associated with better patient outcomes, lower patient mortality, higher patient satisfaction and higher reimbursement rates for hospitals; and
WHEREAS, a one-patient increase in a nurse's workload increased the likelihood of an in-patient death within thirty (30) days of admission by 7%; and
WHEREAS, mortality risk decreases by 9% for ICU patients and 16% for surgery patients with the increase of one (1) FTE (full-time) RN per patient day; and
WHEREAS, nurse staffing shortages are a factor in one (1) out of every four (4) unexpected hospital deaths or injuries caused by errors; and
WHEREAS, healthcare workers are already five (5) times more likely to experience violence on the job than other workers, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, and such violence increases with lower staffing levels at hospitals.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Municipal Council fully supports healthcare workers attempting to resolve the aforementioned matters through establishing safe staffing standards in collective bargaining agreements, through the proposed legislation and hereby urges the New Jersey Legislature to pass Assembly Bill No. 3683 and Senate Bill No. 2700.
2. A copy of the Resolution will be forwarded to the Office of the Governor of the State of New Jersey, the State Legislators representing the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, President of the New Jersey State Senate, The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, the Assembly Health Committee and the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health.
STATEMENT
This Resolution declares the Municipal Council’s support of healthcare workers to establish minimum staff to patient staffing standards and urges the New Jersey Legislature to pass Assembly Bill No. 3683 and Senate Bill No. 2700.