Senate bill 182 which focuses on improving patient safety and nurse retention in Nevada’s hospitals, received support from frontline workers. The bill also got pushback from multiple healthcare executives.
Senate bill 182 seeks to improve patient care and reduce nurse burnout by mandating minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in Nevada hospitals while increasing transparency and worker protections.
The law would apply to care nurses who work in hospitals with 70 or more beds or in counties with a population of 100,000 or more, currently Clark and Washoe counties.
More than a dozen nurses from across the state showed up to the March 6 hearing in support telling personal stories of work burnout, and concerns about patient safety.
Healthcare organizations showed up in opposition too, — including Patrick Kelly, president and chief executive officer of the Nevada Hospital Association, who presented “five reasons to vote no on SB182.”
Senator Rochelle Nguyen, the bill sponsor, said the proposed law is for those who work in the front lines and the safety of the patients.
“What was very powerful to me was the nurses that are in those hospitals came in, in support in big numbers,” Rochelle said. “And if a bunch of people in a bunch of suits were opposing it, I still think I'm on the right side of history.”
Despite the opposition Nguyen said the bill benefits everyone, and will work with hospitals and organizations to pass the bill.
