March 12th, 2009

Sen. Daylin Leach has announced that he has introduced a bill that would implement new patient safety requirements at health care facilities.

Says a press release from Sen. Leach:

The Pennsylvania Hospital Patient Protection Act of 2009, if signed into law, would require hospitals to comply with set Registered Nurse-to-patient ratios on all units at all times. The bill would also provide whistle-blower protection to prevent retaliation against health care workers who report unsafe patient care conditions.

…

“Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage is getting worse by the year. This law will guarantee the safe care of patients while creating conditions in our hospitals that will help retain and recruit RNs. Ratios reduce costly medical errors, hospital infections, and the significant expense of replacing the increasing numbers of RNs who leave the bedside due to unsafe staffing conditions,” Leach said.

Leach noted that he modeled the bill after a successful California law that has brought nearly 100,000 additional RNs into the workforce. The Pennsylvania Hospital Patient Protection Act of 2009 is currently in its drafting stages and will be circulated for co-sponsorship in the coming weeks.