SPOKANE, Wash., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The more than 1250 registered nurses, represented by the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), at Sacred Heart Medical Center are outraged by the announcement regarding proposed cuts in nursing staff by the Hospital. The proposed staffing guideline changes will impact all in-patient units and will result in a reduction of budgeted staff positions including registered nurses at the bedside and other staff.
“While we do not yet know the full impact of the proposed guideline changes and potential layoffs and exactly how many RNs will be affected, the bottom line is that there will be fewer registered nurses at the bedside caring for our patients,” said Marty Avey, RN, local unit chair. She continues, “Our primary concern is the quality of care that our patients will receive as a result of the cuts in nursing staff.”
In today’s health care environment, patients are not admitted to hospitals unless they are acutely ill and their lengths of stay are shorter. Who and how they are cared for in the hospital setting is critically important in their outcome. Adequate and safe RN staffing makes the difference between good patient outcomes and bad ones.
Recent studies confirm what nurses have known for years, that RN staffing has a direct correlation to the safety of patients. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA-October ’02) the risk of patient mortality increased by 7% for every additional patient in the average nurse’s workload in the hospital.
“WSNA will be fighting to keep an adequate number of registered nurses at the bedside to ensure that the Spokane community will receive the safe quality patient care that they deserve,” said Barbara Frye, RN, WSNA Director of Labor Relations.
Founded in 1908, WSNA is the professional organization representing more than 13,000 registered nurses in Washington State. WSNA effectively advocates for the improvement of health standards and availability of quality health care for all people; promotes high standards for the nursing profession; and advances the professional and economic development of nurses.
Washington State Nurses Association
CONTACT: Anne Tan Piazza for WSNA, +1-206-575-7979, ext. 3006, or+1-206-459-6409 (cell), or fax, +1-206-575-1908
Web site: http://www.wsna.org/