The Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United, on behalf of nurses at Marrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, Mass., has announced a community rally on April 5th to protest nurse-to-patient staffing ratios at the hospital.
According to nurses' union, the number of patients assigned to a nurse at Marrimack has increased to levels that could compromise patient safety, exacerbated by the closing of a medical/surgical floor several months ago. Kathy Renzi, RN, said: "Studies have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the best-case standard in safe patient care on a med/surg floor is one RN to four patients… we're consistently above that safe level, at one-to-five on days during the best of times and as high as one-to-eight on nights during the worst of times."
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According to nurses' union, the number of patients assigned to a nurse at Marrimack has increased to levels that could compromise patient safety, exacerbated by the closing of a medical/surgical floor several months ago. Kathy Renzi, RN, said: "Studies have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the best-case standard in safe patient care on a med/surg floor is one RN to four patients… we're consistently above that safe level, at one-to-five on days during the best of times and as high as one-to-eight on nights during the worst of times."
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