MEDIA ADVISORY
(St. Paul) – April 25, 2023 – Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, nurses will line the halls and hold a press conference outside the Minnesota House chamber ahead of an expected vote on the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act as part of the Health omnibus bill (HF 2930). Tomorrow’s vote in the House follows passage of the bill by the Minnesota Senate last week as part of that body’s Health and Human Services omnibus bill (SF 2995). Joining nurses for the press conference will be Rep. Sandra Feist, chief author of the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act in the House.
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 Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act 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 and ensure that there are staffed beds for waiting patients to go to. The bill also includes additional nurse recruitment and retention solutions including workplace violence prevention and loan forgiveness programs.
In addition to the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act, the omnibus bill contains other top nurse priorities including legislation to provide critical public oversight of proposed hospital mergers – like the proposed merger of Sanford Health and M Health Fairview – to protect patients, communities, healthcare workers, and our entire healthcare system from further consolidation. Among other positive measures, the bill restricts hospital executives from personally profiting from a merger.
Nurses will turn out at the State Capitol tomorrow to line the halls as legislators enter the House chamber and will hold a press conference as the floor session begins. Details are included below.
NURSES LINE THE HALLS FOR HOUSE FLOOR SESSION
- When: Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 11:00 a.m.
- Where: Outside House Chamber, Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Saint Paul, MN 55155
- Who: Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association
- What: Line the halls ahead of House vote on Health omnibus
- Why: To pass the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act to retain nurses and protect patient care
NURSE PRESS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF HOUSE VOTE
- When: Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 11:15 a.m.
- Where: Outside House Chamber, Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Saint Paul, MN 55155
- Who: Rep. Sandra Feist and nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association
- What: Press conference on Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act in House Health omnibus
- Why: To pass the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act to retain nurses and protect patient care