**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TODAY**: Nurses, Community Leaders and Elected Officials call for the passage of the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act during a Speak Out at St. Charles Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2021
Contact: Carl Ginsburg | carl.ginsburg@nysna.org | 917-405-1060

PORT JEFFERSON - Nurses at St. Charles Hospital will be joined by elected officials and community leaders to call for the passage of the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act to ensure that all patients across the state get the care they need and deserve.

The bill is gaining more co-sponsors and momentum in Albany as the COVID pandemic underscores that safe staffing saves lives in hospitals and nursing homes.

A recent report by Attorney General Letitia James is the latest evidence that connects safe staffing and positive patient outcomes. The central finding and core recommendation of the AG’s report are that poor staffing was a major factor in the high death toll in nursing homes, and that New York must enact enforceable, minimum staffing standards, or hours of care per resident.

“Now more than ever is it important that we support safe staffing in our healthcare facilities, as having inadequate staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be deadly for both patients and staff. Without it, we cannot ensure that patients are getting the quality care they deserve and it is not fair to the patients or those providing care. This is something we should have had in place long before the pandemic ever started, so we must do it now in order to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again,” said Assembly Member Michael Montesano.

“Everyday, healthcare professionals provide quality care to people all across the state.  New York must pass policies that ensure the safety and wellbeing of both patients, nurses and healthcare workers,” said Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages. “The pandemic has highlighted the need for urgent action.  I stand with our essential workers who have been on the frontlines of this crisis. We need to pass safe staffing legislation now.”

WHAT: Speak Out for Safe Staffing For Quality Care Act
WHO: NYSNA nurses from St. Charles Hospital, elected officials and community leaders
WHEN: TODAY, February 23 at 11:30AM
WHERE: St. Charles Hospital, 200 Belle Terre Road, Port Jefferson, NY

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The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. For more information, please visit nysna.org.