WA Voters Overwhelmingly Support Safe Staffing Standards
Three of Four Support Establishing Staffing Standards for Healthcare Workers and Strong Enforcement for Hospitals that Violate Break Laws
SEATTLE – Public polling shows Washington voters support establishing safe staffing standards for Washington healthcare workers by an overwhelming 3-1 margin, including a supermajority among every political party.
Washington lawmakers are currently considering the bipartisan House Bill 1868 which would create safe staffing standards for healthcare workers in Washington hospitals. The poll, performed by GBAO Strategies, found that 74% of Washington voters support establishing “minimum staffing standards that limit the number of patients any one nurse or healthcare worker is taking care of at a time.”
“For two years of this pandemic, our healthcare workers have put their own health and safety at risk to protect us,” said Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 21. “Washington voters clearly think it’s time we support them by passing the safe staffing standards they’ve asked for to ensure they can do their jobs safely and give patients the care they deserve.”
The results also depict resounding support for healthcare workers and concerns among voters for the unmanageable conditions healthcare workers have faced in Washington hospitals. The vast majority of voters (89%) said they are concerned about the shortage of healthcare workers, and even more (91%) said they are concerned about burnout among healthcare workers – more than were concerned about their own cost of healthcare.
“It has not escaped the people of Washington that healthcare workers have been warning about recruitment and retention issues for years,” said Jane Hopkins, a nurse and executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “This isn’t just a crisis for healthcare workers, it’s a patient care and access crisis, as well. We need to pass the safe staffing standards healthcare workers have asked for to protect both workers and patients.”
The legislation would also close loopholes in existing meal and rest break laws that hospital executives have exploited to deny healthcare workers needed breaks, as well as provide for adequate enforcement against hospitals that don’t comply – which 75% of Washington voters support.
“The pandemic collided with years of poor staffing decisions made by hospital executives to stretch as few staff as possible and keep profits high and put these longstanding issues in a pressure cooker,” said David Keepnews, Executive Director of the Washington State Nurses Association. “Washington healthcare workers have tried to work with hospital executives to address the staffing crisis collaboratively, but collaboration requires two parties. It’s time for Washington lawmakers to step in, and they have voters’ support.”
Legislative testimony has mirrored this overwhelming support among voters – through hearings for both House Bill 1868 and its companion in the Senate, almost 7,500 Washingtonians have signed in to support both bills, compared to only about 1,500 who have signed in to oppose.
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