In 2023 legislators passed ESSB 5236 to begin addresssing the statewide hospital staffing crisis. ESSB 5236 reflects a compromise between unions representing bedside healthcare workers and the state hospital association. While the original bill would have established statewide safe staffing standards – a policy proven by decades of research to improve outcomes for patients and workers – the final compromise will strengthen accountability to staffing plans and allow for corrective action by state agencies if necessary.
It’s a long way off until full implementation of SB 5236, and in the meantime Washington healthcare workers are still struggling to course correct from challenges that arose from COVID-19 as well as those predating the pandemic. Washington Safe + Healthy is committed to ensuring healthcare workers exercise full use of the new law, finding collaborative solutions wherever possible, and continuing to advocate on behalf of healthcare workers and patients.
Safe staffing standards improve safety for both healthcare workers and patients.
Better safety for workers
Safe staffing standards that protect any one healthcare worker from dangerously high patient loads will help them do their jobs safely.
Better care for patients
Safe staffing standards will ensure patients get the quick, safe and responsive care they deserve.
better staffing in HOSPITALS
Safe staffing standards will begin to address the hospital staffing crisis by reducing burnout and ensuring safe, manageable workplaces.
The staffing crisis pre-existed the pandemic.
During the worst of the pandemic, healthcare workers put themselves at risk to protect us. But while many aspects of our lives have returned to normal, our healthcare workers continue to be understaffed, overworked, and burned out. Healthcare workers have asked hospital executives for help but they were ignored. Now, they’re asking state lawmakers to pass safe staffing standards that will let them do their jobs safely and give patients the care they deserve.
Washington healthcare workers are burned out and at their breaking points
We’ve lost countless nurses and other healthcare workers because of the unmanageable conditions they’re facing in hospitals. To address the staffing crisis, we need to reduce the number of healthcare workers leaving their jobs due to burnout and ensure new workers stay in the field by passing safe staffing standards that protect them from dangerously high patient loads and keep both workers and patients safe.
79% of healthcare workers say they're burned out
49% say they're likely to quit healthcare in the next few years
68% of them say short-staffing is one of the biggest reasons
Results from poll of healthcare workers members of UFCW 3000, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and WSNA conducted Feb. 2-6, 2023.