Buttenschon Pushes Safe Staffing For Quality Care Act

Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon was joined by local nurses on Wednesday to push for the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act.

The legislation, which is co-sponsored by Buttenschon, would set direct care nurse-to-patient ratios in New York health care facilities and nursing homes.

The bill would set minimum staffing requirements and require facilities to create a staffing plan that can be accessed by the public.

“Nurses have been on the frontlines of this pandemic, working day and night to provide their patients with the best quality of care,” Buttenschon said. “However, the effects of these past few months have put an immense strain on our health care workers, overwhelming our hospitals and forcing nurses to care for too many patients at once. This safe staffing bill would put limits on how many patients a nurse can be assigned and would go a long way toward improving patient outcomes

Buttenschon was also joined by the bill’s primary sponsor, Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.