Ohio law gives nurses say in staffing decisions

A new Ohio law requires that hospitals create a committee to determine the staffing level of nurses in every unit and at least half of the committee must be made up of nurses who provide direct patient care (‘Nurses get say in staffing,” Columbus Dispatch, July 1, 2008).

The new law was endorsed by the Ohio Nurses Association and the Ohio Hospital Association. However, the Ohio chapter of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, part of the California Nurses Association, criticized it because it does not require hospital administrators to follow the committee’s recommendations. The group is pushing for mandatory staffing levels for nurses.

Proponents of the bill counter that mandating patient-to-nurse ratios will limit hospital’s staffing flexibility and would likely lead to cuts in support staff positions.