edmac of Benedicta, ME Obviously the oponents of this bill are thinking only of money and not of people. This is what got us here in the first place. There are nurses in Maine several of them not wroking because of the working conditions. I became a nurse to take care of patients but a 6-8 patient assignment makes that almost impossible. The patients are lucky to get their meds at all never mind on time. I think you should all read this bill from start to finish before you make judgements about the people that are pushing for patient safety. Someday I can almost guarantee each and every one of you will need a nurse at your bedside. Lets hope it's on a good day when the nurse has a light load. If acuity was always taken into consideration we wouldn't need this legislation, but it is not. Management teams tell you that it is. They sound pretty convincing but we've heard it all before and the only way to change it is with mandation. report abuse

parker66 of South Portland, ME You'll notice that the top complaint among all the (union) nurses in favor of this bill is money ... and how much administrators make. That's the real motivation here - patient safety is just the cloak they wrap it in to make it sound less selfish. This bill does nothing to address salaries, so if that's the REAL problem, why not address that?

Check out the website of any hospital in Maine and you will see that they are ALL looking for nurses. York Hospital recently offered $10k sign-on bonuses. Money isn't the issue, it is a definite nusing shortage - fewer people are entering this profession.

For those who don't think hospitals or units within hospitals will close, go ahead and pass this bill and see what happens. If there aren't enough nurses now to fill the slots, they aren't going to magically appear with passage of this bill. Closures will HAVE to occur.

This union activity, driven by zealots in California, will destroy Maine's rural hospital system. Don't let a handful of lazy, selfish nurses speak for the volumes who see the foolishness of this bill. If I'm ever in the hospital, I pray to God that I'm treated by a nurse who understands his/her profession and didn't get into the field for what some union rep promises. report abuse

berged of Portland, ME Anactual nurse is probably a member of the nurses' union trying to push this bill. Yes, Bangor is a hub of nurse union actiivty AND Representative Sean Faircloth. As many have pointed out, this legislation is not needed.
Being 'an actual nurse' for 25 years, I have seen the quality of nursing care improve with other, less costly measures. Posting patient satisfaction scores and quality measures has driven and continues to drive hospitals to improve. The Magnet Hospital certification program, sponsored by the American Nurses' Association, has hospitals striving for improved care and professional nursing practice. Maine has two such hospitals, with many others applying for this honor. Not one "ratio" is cited as a requirement, yet these hospitals demonstrate quality care that is in the top 3% of the WORLD.
Nurse-patient ratios are not the primary or solitary contributor to adverse events in a hospital. One need only read the Institute of Medicine's report "To errr is human" to realize that systemic failures are the root causes. I'm sorry. I'm not buying this labor union propaganda. I'm saddened that nurses want to reduce their profession to the equivalent of a working trade. report abuse

Sandra1950 of Thomaston, ME Having patient ratios will not cause hospitals to close, it will create a safer environment for patient care. Everyone keeps saying all we need are more nursing students slots, but the newer nurses are often the ones who opt out of working in hospitals because of the stress involved with caring for such sick patients. With all the opportunities for nurses, why would they want to put themselves through that day after day?
The people who say we are just complainers, that they work overtime too, obviously haven't stopped to think about the difference in our jobs. Do they have to keep someone breathing? Or give dangerous medications? Or stop someone from bleeding to death, when they are overworked and unable to think straight? I think NOT!
There is NOT a shortage of nurses in Maine! There is a shortage of nurses who are willing to work under these conditions. If things are to get any better, ratios need to be addressed. The hospitals don't seem to be willing to do this voluntarily, what other choice is there.
As for the people who keep saying we nurses are so overpaid, they should take a look at what the hospital administrators make! Hospitals are being run like businesses now, and the administrators get pay raises for keeping costs down, NOT for providing better patient care. I know, because our administrator at Penobscot Bay Medical Center got a $47,000 RAISE this year when the nurses hadn't recieved a raise for 2 years. He now makes $288,000 a year....report abuse

AnActualRN of Bangor, ME As an actual bedside Nurse working at a busy hospital, I feel I can speak on this issue with some insight.
I have read many comments by well-meaning people opining that this Bill is unfounded, ridiculous and, at the very least, unnecessary. Yet, it is BECAUSE of the nursing shortage that this Bill becomes increasingly necessary. A safely-regulated patient/Nurse ratio is an idea whose time has come.
Because health care has become a multi-billion dollar business, it is in the hospitals' best interest to be concerned about their bottom line--they cannot stay open and provide a service to the community if that were not the case. Unfortunately, there has been no tangible measure to maintain patients' safety in this business model. I can attest first-hand that many mistakes happen because Nurses are expected to work beyond a reasonably safe working condition. Medications cannot be given on time, patients fall out of bed, patients wait in pain, patients cannot be taken to the bathroom in time, patients do not get adequately bathed, patients are becoming infected by these easily-spread "superbugs". This Bill offers a viable solution to the reality of hospital care today.
The ratios would mandate the maximum number of patients that one Nurse would be expected to provide safe care for during her shift. Currently, there is nothing to prevent Nurses from working beyond what is safe.
I would encourage those strongly opposed to this Bill to look through the eyes of a Health care provider and reconsider its importance.
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Eileen Dunn of Bayville, NY I love it,compare Nurses who save lives to supermarket checkout clerks. In case you don't understand Nurses save lives everytime they go to work.Of course the Maine Hospital Assoc. is against the bill, it will cost money. Ask the administrators at the hospitals what their salaries are! When they tell you, make sure you call on them next time you're in pain or can't breathe at 3am in the hospital. We all need a good Nurse at some time. Hopefully all of you out there that are against the life savers working under safe conditions, where they have time to give the kind of care that people want for their loved ones, I hope you are the one that has to wait for the call bell to be answered in a timely fashion maybe then you will understand.
Thanks a very tired overworked Nurse.report abuse

J LV of PORTLAND, ME I COMPLETELY AND WHOLE HEARTEDLY SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION. THE HOSPITAL LOBBY IS TRYING TO SCARE EVERYBODY INTO KEEPING THINGS STATUS QUO. BUT THEY DON'T SCARE ME. THE FACT IS, ASK THE HOSPITALS WHY THEY'RE SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY TO FIGHT THIS BILL, MONEY PATIENTS ARE PAYING OUT OUR WALLETS.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS: OUR HEALTH IS ON THE LINE HERE. PATIENTS ARE SUFFERING AND NURSES ARE SUFFERING. THIS IS ABOUT SAFETY. PERIOD!!! report abuse

Joey of Falmouth, ME Studies by nurse researchers have been done. They found the ratio of nurses to patients is correlated to the number of patients that die after surgery from complications. Basically, too few nurses result in very busy nurses, who fail to recognize in time when patients hearts are are about to stop. The more nurses, the fewer needless deaths in hospitals. The same studies also show that nurses quit much more often at hospitals where staffing is insufficient-thereby making the staffing shortage even more of a problem.. Faircloth has it right. The public needs to be protected.report abuse

ISPortland of Portland, ME I waited with my son in the ER last winter for over six hours and can't help but think, if there were more nurses there, he'd get help sooner.report abuse

woof of Portland, ME Now aren't we touchy? I would like to know how many of the negative comments about this bill were made by people in hospital management positions. As usual control is a scary thing to lose but patient safety is even scarier to lose and much more dangerous! report abuse