HARRISBURG, Pa. – Over 100 Pennsylvania nurses are coming together in Harrisburg to demand safe patient limit laws that will save lives in hospitals and nursing homes.

Nurses have collected over 10,000 signed petitions in support of the bills  (HB1500/SB214) that would limit the number of patients a nurse can be asked to care for at one time. On July 31st those petitions will arrive via ambulance to the capitol to punctuate the care crisis caused by improper staffing. Nurses will deliver those petitions to Representative Kathy Rapp and Senator Lisa Baker who chair the state health committees. 

The statewide problem of assigning too many patients to one nurse hurts the quality of care patients receive.  Decades of research suggests improvements like those mandated by these bills would prevent 1 in 10 hospital patient deaths in Pennsylvania.1 That’s why it’s more important than ever for lawmakers to enact safe nurse-to-patient limits that can be enforced at the state level.

The rally and petition delivery will cap off the first-ever Safe Staffing Summit. The event is led by Nurses of PA, a non-profit movement of union and non-union nurses who are leading the charge for safe staffing laws.