ATLANTA – State Representative Sandra Scott (D-Rex) recently introduced House Bill 801 to limit the number of patients assigned to a professional registered nurse in hospitals and other health care facilities. The bill would also require that nurses who are assigned to a specialized unit for the first time receive proper training.
“House Bill 801 brings awareness to the pressure and stress that our nurses face every day,” said Rep. Scott. “I introduced this bill after hearing from nurses about the long hours and number of patients that each nurse has to care for on a daily basis. As lawmakers, we need to ensure sure that every patient receives the best standard of care. Therefore, it is critical that we start the conversation on how we can assist the medical profession in looking at ways to attract more nurses and cut down on the nurse to patient ratio.”
Under the proposed legislation, the number of patients that could be assigned to a nurse would range from one to six depending on the type of department or unit. HB 801 would place these limits on the following hospital departments/units: critical care, intermediate care, post anesthesia care, operating rooms, emergency departments, maternal child care, pediatric care, psychiatric units, medical and surgical units, telemetry units, observational units, acute rehabilitation and specialty care. For any unit not specified by HB 801, a maximum of four patients could be assigned to a registered nurse. Additionally, HB 801 would require permanent and temporary nursing staff to undergo specialized training before they are assigned to a specific nursing unit or clinical area. Hospitals and health care facilities would be required to adopt written policies and procedures for such training, and facilities that violate HB 801 would be fined up to $25,000 for each day that the violation continues.
For more information on House Bill 801, please click here.
Representative Sandra Scott represents the citizens of District 76, which includes portions of Clayton and Henry counties. She was first elected to the House Representatives in 2010 and currently serves on the Defense & Veterans Affairs, Human Relations & Aging, Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment, Science and Technology and Special Rules committees.
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