New legislation will require general hospitals in New York to establish clinical staffing committees composed of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, ancillary staff members and hospital administrators, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release.
The legislation, signed by the governor June 18, also will require the committees to develop clinical staffing plans. Mr. Cuomo said the plans must include guidelines on nurse-to-patient ratios, as well as the number of ancillary staff assigned to each unit.
Additionally, the legislation creates an advisory commission of nine members, including experts in staffing standards and patient care, nursing unions and hospital representatives. Mr. Cuomo said the advisory commission will evaluate staffing in hospitals and send a report to the state legislature.
"The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented strain on New York State's hospital systems and revealed a host of issues with regard to staffing and the effective allocation of resources," the governor said in the news release. "This legislation requires hospitals to create committees that include the very same staff who treat patients on the ground every single day and come up with plans that take their concerns into consideration when allocating staff. We need to make sure nurses and ancillary staff have a voice in their hospitals, and these new requirements will make sure they collaboratively plan for the future."
Staffing committees must adopt a first plan and submit it to the state health department by July 1, 2022, with implementation by the following January. The advisory commission will send a report to state lawmakers by Oct. 31, 2024.
Read more about the legislation here.