Bill > A07095

This bill establishes the "Safe Staffing for Hospital Care Act," which aims to improve patient safety and healthcare worker conditions by mandating specific staffing requirements for healthcare facilities in New York. The bill requires hospitals to submit annual staffing plans that include detailed nurse-to-patient ratios for different medical units (ranging from one-to-one in critical areas like trauma and operating rooms to one-to-six in adult medical-surgical units), developed in consultation with direct-care nursing staff. The legislation prohibits mandatory overtime, limiting healthcare workers to no more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period and 80 hours in a 14-day period, and provides protections for nurses to refuse assignments that could compromise patient safety or their own ability to provide competent care. Healthcare facilities must maintain comprehensive daily records of patient acuity, staffing levels, and critical statistics, and can face enforcement actions, including monetary penalties and potential injunctions, if they violate these requirements. The bill's underlying goal is to address concerns about inadequate hospital staffing, reduce medical errors, and protect both patient and healthcare worker well-being by establishing clear, minimum staffing standards across various healthcare settings.

Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A7095