MEDIA ADVISORY
Nurse staffing bill passed in House committee today as part of health omnibus, Senate to present health omnibus in committee tomorrow
(St. Paul) – March 30, 2023 – Tomorrow, Friday, March 31, 2023, nurses will hold a media availability on the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act ahead of a key hearing of the Minnesota Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Earlier today, the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act was approved by the Minnesota House Health Finance and Policy Committee as part of its omnibus bill; tomorrow, the Senate committee will present its omnibus bill for public testimony. Nurses are encouraging the Minnesota House and Senate to move the act forward as part of their health omnibus bills.
The Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act (SF 1561, HF 1700) is designed to solve the crisis of short-staffing, retention, and patient care in Minnesota hospitals. While there are more registered nurses in Minnesota than ever before, half of all nurses are now considering leaving the profession, citing short staffing as their top concern. The bill is a comprehensive approach to nurse staffing and retention that would establish committees of direct care workers and management at Minnesota hospitals to discuss what works best for staffing for their patients on a hospital-by-hospital, unit-by-unit level. Rather than patients waiting for hours or being denied care, the bill incentivizes hospitals to staff appropriately so nurses have the time and resources necessary to provide quality patient care. The bill also includes additional nurse recruitment and retention solutions including workplace violence prevention and loan forgiveness programs.
Details on tomorrow’s media availability and committee hearing are included below, additional information on the hearing can be found at this link.
NURSE MEDIA AVAILABILITY BEFORE SENATE HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES HEARING
When: Friday, March 31, 2023; media availability at 2:30 p.m., hearing at 3:00 p.m.
- Where: Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Room G-15, Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Saint Paul, MN 55155
- Who: Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association
- What: Media availability on Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act ahead of key Senate hearing
- Why: To retain nurses and ensure patients get the care they expect and deserve