This November, Massachusetts voters will consider a ballot question that would set government-mandated nurse staffing levels at all hospitals across the Commonwealth. Massachusetts Senior Care has joined the Coalition to Protect Patient Safety in opposition to the proposed hospital nurse staffing ballot question. Mass Senior Care is extremely concerned that the ballot initiative would result in exacerbating the current shortage of nursing staff for long term care facilities – one in seven nursing positions are unfilled – as long term care facility nurses would be recruited to hospitals to fulfill the potential mandate.
“Direct care nursing staff are the vital backbone of our long-term care system, and even today we are in urgent need of additional nurses to ensure and meet the care needs of our seniors,” said Massachusetts Senior Care President Tara Gregorio. “We are extremely concerned that the proposed nurse staffing ballot question will decimate our already fragile long-term care system by recruiting away long-term care clinicians to meet the potential new hospital staffing mandates.”