City nurses head to Albany to demand safe staffing

Hundreds of nurses, caregivers and nursing students from across the city and state made their way to Albany to fight for higher staffing levels to ensure patients receive the best care possible.  Nurses

News 12 Staff

Apr 21, 2015, 2:51 PM

Updated 3,537 days ago

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Hundreds of nurses, caregivers and nursing students from across the city and state made their way to Albany to fight for higher staffing levels to ensure patients receive the best care possible. 
Nurses from Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx are among those who are calling on lawmakers to pass the "Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act" to make sure patients have a nurse who will be there for them at all times. The nurses say they're often forced to take on too many patients, dramatically increasing the risk of illness and health complications. 
In some cases, nurses complain that they've seen their patient assignments double or even triple, making it impossible to give patients all the support and help they need. Last year alone, officials say more than 25,000 formal RN complaints were filed in downstate hospitals alone due to staffing shortages. 
As News 12 reported last week, hundreds of nurses in all five boroughs rallied outside their hospitals for staff improvements.