**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TOMORROW**: Nurses and Community Leaders call for the passage of the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act during a Speak Out at Erie County Medical Center

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

Buffalo - Nurses at Erie County Medical Center will hold a rally with 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.

“Whether you’re a patient in a public hospital, a private hospital, or a nursing home, you should have a right to safe, quality care,” said NYSNA Board Member Chiqkena Collins, RN, of Erie County Medical Center. “New York needs to enact minimum safe staffing standards that apply to all facilities equally - regardless of their zip code to ensure ALL patients receive quality care.”

WHAT: Speak Out for Safe Staffing For Quality Care Act
WHO: NYSNA nurses from ECMC and community leaders
WHEN: TOMORROW, February 24 at 11:30 AM
WHERE: Erie County Medical Center, 462 Grider Street, Buffalo, 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.