Safe Staffing... 11/20

As long as we're plugging national issues that are coming up and affecting Essent and Paris, let's hit Safe Staffing. I say Paris, rather than PRMC, because it isn't just for nursing, it's for the EMS, Fire Dept, and Police as well. All those whose jobs can directly save lives. This isn't unique to Paris, but we seem to ignore solutions that have been found elsewhere.

We demand more of the community--be it social services, EMS, Fire, or Police departments, but we forget that these things cost money--and the money eventually comes from us.

Are we our brother's keeper? In some cases yes, as well as their parole officer, their jailer, their property's savior, their lifesaver.... If we accept that, then there is no choice...you pay for those services. And, since the payment is from property taxes, it is equitable, based on the value of what would possibly be lost...from fire or theft. If we wish additional staffing, than we need to pay for it as well.


But what about medical staffing? When does it impact on the lives of the patients? Nurse Safe Staffing is an issue that is being pushed in most states...but not California.... Why? Because it's already there.

The whole idea is to staff appropriately so as not to force overtime, to avoid using temps that are unfamiliar with the patients and facilities, and to create the cohesive team that is needed in the life and death situations they are faced with.


California adopted a Safe Staffing initiative, and amazingly nurses are retained at a higher level, more students are choosing the nursing careers, and hospital mortality rates are decreasing in many areas of care. The naysayers forecasted doom for those hospitals in California, but apparently none have been forced to close because of the initiative.

"Numerous prestigious medical and nursing journals have concluded the most important question a patient should ask when entering a hospital is, “How many patients will my nurse be caring for?” The answer can have life-or-death consequences."

"The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the more patients a nurse has to care for, the more likely that serious complications or death will ensue. The study found that each additional patient above four that a nurse is caring for produces a 7 percent increase in mortality. If a nurse is caring for eight patients instead of four, that is a 31 percent increase in the risk of death. The conclusion of this study was that legislation to regulate RN-to-patient ratios was a “credible approach” to improving patient safety and ending the nursing shortage."

...from the Mass Nurses Association

This kind of crossed over to Paris Needs A Super Hero 's turf, but Batman owes me one....