New York’s nurses are poised to be a legislative force in Albany like never before.
Our top priorities: saving Certificate of Need from deregulation, legislating safe staffing ratios, fixing the healthcare crisis worsened by Hurricane Sandy, and protecting our public hospitals - are goals that will only be accomplished with the input and action of you, the NYSNA RN.
Save Certificate of Need – There is an effort underway in New York to deregulate the Certificate of Need process. If successful, private hospitals will have an easier time cutting unprofitable patient care services and shifting the burden onto our already-strained public and community hospitals. And it would pave the way for profit-driven privatized hospitals – which have a well-established track record of sacrificing patient care for profits.
Safe Staffing – You made safe staffing our top legislative priority, and we’re going to fight hard to get legislation passed. We need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to win. Our patients and the future of our profession depend on it.
“Build Back Better” – Hurricane Sandy worsened disparities that already existed in New York City’s healthcare system, with the poor and uninsured falling through the cracks. We’re going to continue our work with allies to fix the healthcare crisis and build back a better system that provides quality care to all.
Protect Our Public Hospitals – Nurses at HHC, Westchester Medical Center, and Erie County Medical Center are fighting to improve staffing, stop workplace violence, and win good contracts in our public hospitals. A strong public healthcare system is essential to providing quality care to our communities, and we’re going to do all that we can to stop cuts and win improvements.
Keep For-Profit Hospital Operators out of NY – For-profit operations would benefit stockholders and investors by cherry-picking patients and profitable procedures, sending the poorest and uninsured patients to New York’s already over-burdened safety net hospitals.
Below are NYSNA’s priority legislation for the 2013 legislative session. Bill numbers will be added as legislation is reintroduced. Please note: all attachments are .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
A6571 and S3691 - Would establish minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in all acute care facilities and would establish minimum care hours for RNs, LPNs and CNAs in nursing homes. Memorandum of Support
A2180-A/S1123-A - Would require all facilities implement a safe patient handling policy to reduce the manual movement of patients when lifting transferring and re-positioning. Safe patient handling practices reduce injuries for patients and for healthcare workers. Memorandum of Support
A5389-A/S2078-A - Would establish a comprehensive system of universal healthcare coverage for all residents of New York State regardless of age, income, health or employment status. Memorandum of Support
A1632/S1673 - Would restrict consecutive hours of required work by nurses in the home care setting, except in cases of emergencies or when a nurse voluntarily requests overtime.
A3103/S628 - Would require registered professional nurses to attain a bachelor degree in nursing within ten years of their initial licensure, while “grandfathering” nurses already in practice and nursing students already enrolled. Memorandum of Support
A4846 - Would end the statutory requirement of a written collaborative practice agreement between an experienced nurse practitioner and a physician, in order for the nurse practitioner to practice.
A826/S3145 - Would establish certification for clinical nurse specialists and protect the title “clinical nurse specialist” to ensure that only those properly educated and prepared, hold themselves as such.
A1281/S1560 - Would require 45 hours of continuing nursing education in order to re-register every three years, to practice as a registered professional nurse.
Comprehensive online materials on legislative activities are available at NYSNA’s Legislative Action Center.
Contact the Political and Community Organizing department at 518.782.9400, ext. 283 or by e-mail.