NYS Seal

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
COMMITTEE ON LABOR
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
ORAL TESTIMONY WILL BE BY INVITATION ONLY


SUBJECT:

Staffing shortages and mandatory overtime for nurses.

PURPOSE:

To examine the need for legislation to restrict mandatory overtime for nurses and regulate staffing ratios for nurses.

MANHATTAN
Thursday May 18, 2006
11:00 am
Assembly Hearing Room
250 Broadway, Room 1923
New York, New York


The purpose of this hearing is to examine the need to limit mandatory overtime worked by nurses. Under-staffing has resulted in nurses working longer hours and caring for sicker, needier patients. Administrators have begun to use unscheduled, mandatory overtime to make up for personnel shortages, further causing many RNs to leave the profession or leave certain areas of practice.

The hearing will also investigate the need to establish a minimum RN to patient ratio. Studies have shown a direct relationship between the nurse-to-patient ratio and the quality of patient outcomes.

Witnesses will be expected to comment specifically on Assembly bills A.1199, A.4094, A.5495, and A.7768.

Oral testimony will be by invitation only and limited to 10 minute durations. All testimony will be under oath. Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committees would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements. Written testimony will also be accepted and may be sent to the contact persons listed on the reply form.

In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committees will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. This request should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as soon as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee's interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.


Susan V. John
Chair
Committee on Labor

Richard N. Gottfried
Chair
Committee on Health



PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons invited to present testimony at the public hearing on staffing shortages and mandatory overtime for nurses to be held on May 18, 2006, or who wish to submit written testimony only, are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail it to:

Lindsay Copeland
Legislative Associate
Assembly Committee on Labor
Room 513- Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
Phone: (518) 455-4876
Fax: (518) 455-4128


box I plan to attend the following public hearing on staffing shortages and mandatory overtime for nurses to be conducted by the Assembly Committee on Labor and the Assembly Committee on Health on Thursday May 18, 2006.

box I have been invited to make a public statement at the hearing. My statement will be limited to 10 minutes, and I will answer any questions which may arise. I will provide 10 copies of my prepared statement.

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I will address my remarks to the following subjects:





box I do not plan to attend the above hearing.

box I would like to be added to the Committee mailing list for notices and reports.

box I would like to be removed from the Committee mailing list.

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I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required:






NAME:

TITLE:

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*** Click here for printable form ***


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