Ohio nurses push for minimum staffing standards

Nurses in Ohio are pressing the state’s lawmakers to approve legislation that would set minimum staffing standards for nurses in hospitals and health systems.

Ohio nurses are pushing the state's lawmakers to approve minimum staffing levels for nurses in hospitals. Nurses testified in support of a staffing bill at Ohio's Statehouse Tuesday.

Nurses testified at a hearing in Ohio’s statehouse in Columbus in support of the bipartisan measure to develop minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. (Ohio HB285). The legislation would also direct $20 million to help train more nurses. Nursing students could get grants if they commit to practicing in Ohio for five years.

The Ohio Nurses Association is pushing for the legislation, saying it will help protect patients and ensure nurses stay in hospitals and health systems. The association says a recent survey found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Ohio’s nurses were considering leaving bedside roles due to the stress they were experiencing.

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Catharyne Henderson, a registered nurse in the post-surgical oncology unit at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University, testified in support of the bill. She’s also a member of the board of the Ohio Nurses Association.

“In my tenure working on the unit, I have seen firsthand how staffing ratios directly affect patient care and nurse wellbeing,” Henderson said. “I have seen many of my colleagues leave the bedside and some have unfortunately left the profession altogether due to the demands. Proper staffing is more than a logistical goal—it’s a matter of life and death for our patients and the professional sustainability of the nurses who care for them.”

Kylee Ham, a registered nurse in the emergency department of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, told lawmakers that she feared the “imminent death of nursing,” due to inadequate staffing.

“Safe staffing is a triage emergency,” Ham said. “The nursing profession is not dying the death that you might hope you or your loved one experience one day. Quick, peaceful, painless, and surrounded by people that you love. My profession is dying the death of a 1000 cuts. Unsafe staffing just might be the fatal blow.”

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Rick Lucas, president and executive director of the Ohio Nurses Association, told lawmakers that minimum standards would represent a floor, not a ceiling, for staffing of nurses.

“They establish a baseline for patient safety while allowing hospitals to flex staffing up based on patient acuity and census,” Lucas told lawmakers. “Without enforceable standards, hospitals face no obligation to address the persistent issues documented by Ohio’s nurses.”

Lucas pointed to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as an example of the value of minimum staffing centers. He said he wants to see similar standards statewide.

“For years, OSU has maintained minimum staffing levels, creating a safer and more effective environment for both patients and caregivers,” Lucas said. “These practices allow OSU to respond efficiently during crises like mass trauma events, setting a benchmark for what is possible when hospitals prioritize safety. HB 285 would bring these proven benefits to hospitals across Ohio, ensuring all patients receive care that meets a minimum standard.”

The Ohio Hospital Association has pushed back against minimum staffing levels. In a statement to the Dayton Daily News in April, the association said, “Mandated approaches to nurse staffing limit innovation, reduce the flexibility needed to respond to patients’ changing care needs and increase stress on a health care system already facing an escalating workforce shortage.”

Last year, Oregon adopted a law establishing minimum nurse staffing levels at the state’s hospitals.

California first established some minimum staffing requirements for nurses. In New York, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law in 2021 requiring hospitals to form committees, including nurses, to set staffing standards, and a few other states have similar requirements.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., have introduced federal legislation requiring minimum staffing standards at hospitals.

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