New York, Pennsylvania Seek Remedies to Nursing Shortage

A New York state task force released a report on Aug. 23 concluding that the state's nursing shortage is "so serious that it threatens patient safety and quality of care," the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports. The report, written by Republicans in the state Assembly, said that the "dwindling" supply of nurses, growing patient demand and relatively low pay have contributed to the shortage, which has caused the cancellation of scheduled surgeries and the diversion of ambulances from emergency rooms statewide. The task force recommended that nurses receive "higher pay, shorter shifts, more flexible hours, on-site child care and streamlined paperwork" (Smith, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 8/24). Assembly Republicans, who are in the minority, are drafting legislation to implement some of these recommendations, but "it doesn't look like [they] will have the support" of the chamber's Democrats, the Albany Times-Union reports. Richard Gottfried (D), chair of the Assembly's Health Committee, said that the report is "a collection of ideas that are obvious to almost everybody who has looked at the nursing shortage -- except the most important (idea), which is doing something in the state budget" (Hughes, Albany Times-Union, 8/24). The $79.6 million "baseline budget," approved this month by the Assembly and the Senate, contains "no incentives" for addressing the nursing shortage, and it is uncertain whether any of the task force's recommendations will find their way into the supplemental budget bills expected to be passed next month (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 8/24).

And in Pennsylvania
Forty nursing educators and administrators met in Harrisburg, Pa., yesterday to discuss the state's nursing shortage at a forum sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, the AP/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. According to association president Margaret Lieb Zalon, 75% of Pennsylvania's registered nurses actually work in nursing -- the "lowest work force participation rate" in the country. The state budget passed in June allocates $3 million for loan forgiveness and scholarship programs for nurses who agree to work in the state after they graduate. Measures to ban mandatory overtime for nurses await consideration in the Legislature (Raffaele, AP/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 8/24). For further information on state health policy in New York and Pennsylvania, visit State Health Facts Online.