New law gives nurses stronger voice in setting hospital staffing levels

OLYMPIA — Nurses secured a greater role in deciding minimum staffing levels in hospitals across the state under a law signed Thursday by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The legislation requires hospital administrators and nurses to agree on the number of staff assigned in each patient care unit, and how workers will be assured of receiving proper rest and meal breaks.

Those details will be written into staffing plans. Hospitals that fail to comply with those plans could face fines and other penalties from the state Department of Health, as well as Labor & Industries. Hospitals with fewer than 25 acute care licensed beds and certified as critical access hospitals are exempt from some of the bill’s provisions.

Senate Bill 5236, sponsored by Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, represents a compromise between nurses and hospital leaders. The two sides battled to a draw in the 2022 session.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/new-law-gives-nurses-stronger-voice-in-setting-hospital-staffing-levels/