A bill that would require acute care and nursing home facilities to have a set minimum number of staffers has cleared the Assembly, according to North Country Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa.

Russell is now urging her colleagues in the New York State Senate to pass the legislation that will ensure nurses have the staffing levels necessary to provide quality care to their patients.

"I've supported this legislation for years and will continue to push for safe staffing ratios to become law. This is an issue of patient safety, and it is central to our state's effort to create better health outcomes. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take up this legislation," Assemblywoman Russell said.

The bill would require a hospital or nursing home’s application for an operating certificate to contain a staffing plan with standards for nurse-patient ratios and require compliance with the standards established.

Additionally, it would require acute care facilities to publicly disclose their staffing requirements and direct the Department of Health to consider an applicant’s staffing violations when reviewing applications and renewals for its operating certificate.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, estimates five additional deaths per 1,000 patients in hospitals routinely staffing with only 1:8 nurse-to-patient ratios compared to those staffing with 1:4 nurse-to-patient ratios.

This same study determined the odds of patient death increased by 7 percent for each additional patient the nurse must care for at one time.

Assemblywoman Russell said studies have shown that hospitals with lower nurse staffing levels have higher rates of pneumonia, shock, cardiac arrest, urinary tract infections and upper gastrointestinal bleeds.

She noted those conditions lead to higher costs for hospitals, and more people die from complications stemming from their lack of appropriate care due to inadequate staffing levels.

Research has also shown safe nurse staffing levels have a positive impact on the care of patients at nursing homes, according to Assemblywoman Russell.

"I have heard from nurses at health care facilities in the 116th Assembly District that they are concerned about staffing levels, recognizing they are being spread too thin by high patient loads that directly impact patient care and patient outcomes," she said.

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther said safe staffing levels instituted at hospitals in California and New Jersey have generated positive results, both for patients and hospitals.

She told her colleagues hospitals in California actually saw a 3 percent increase in their profits after enacting safe staffing legislation. Her comments came in response to concerns about the fiscal impact of the legislation on hospitals and nursing homes.

"That increase in profitability could mean the difference between hospitals being able to stay open and being forced to close their doors," Assemblywoman Russell said.