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...
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