WA Legislators, Hospital Association Conflict On Staffing Bills

OLYMPIA, WA — As the omicron wave tore through Washington state this winter, hospital leaders warned over and over again about high staff turnover as doctors and nurses struggled to care for the swelling number of COVID-19 patients.

In response, Washington lawmakers have introduced two bills to address the issue and bolster the state's health care system. But while legislators and supporters say the bills are designed to fix hospital staffing issues and improve worker safety, the state's hospital association says their "one-size fits all" approach could instead create further problems.

The bills in question, House Bill 1868 and Senate Bill 5751, promise to address staffing needs by improving the job: banning required overtime, and guaranteeing meal and rest breaks, among other benefits. Both bills have drawn bipartisan support, KING 5 reported, and the support of some hospital employees.

"By having this law in place, it's actually going to make things better because people that are coming in that we're going to recruit, we'll be able to retain them because the work is manageable," Jane Hopkins, a registered nurse and the executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW told KING. "Those that are thinking about leaving will actually stay."

However, response from the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) has been less positive. The association on Tuesday released a statement expressing concerns over the bill's "rigid" staffing standards, which WSHA leaders warn could raise health care costs and further limit patient access.

“Imposing these one-size-fits-all requirements will make many of the care delays we’ve seen during the pandemic a permanent feature in Washington State,” said June Altaras a registered nurse with MultiCare Health System and WSHA member. “We share legislators’ desire to continue supporting the health care teams that have been so strained over the last two years. However, this proposal will make the problem worse.”

Both bills do require hospitals to meet minimum staffing standards. For example, under HB 1868, ICU units would be required to staff at least one RN for every two patients. The WSHA says, Washington already has a shortage of about 6,000 registered nurses, and their estimates show the bill would require hospitals to hire at least 15,000 more to meet the minimum staffing requirements— a combined cost of over a billion dollars, the association said.

Converesely, HB 1868 sponsor Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), argues that worker protections like these are needed to prevent current workers from leaving, pointing to a recent poll which found that 84 percent of healthcare workers said they were burned out. Nearly half of all respondents said they were likely to leave the healthcare profession in the next few years.

"Safe staffing standards will protect our healthcare workers and ensure that hospitals are prepared for emergencies like the one we are having right now," writes Riccelli. "Washington should be a place where healthcare workers can have long and successful careers. Ultimately, by protecting them we are also protecting ourselves by ensuring that patients can get the care they deserve."

Instead of the current proposals, the WSHA says it would rather the state focus on investing in health care education, increasing payment rates for long term care to incentivize patients moving out of hospitals and into extended care facilities, and to join the interstate nurse compact, which allows nurses to more easily transfer in from other states.

“Most of our hospitals in Washington are public hospital districts or not-for-profit and are operating with little to no financial margin," said Lourdes Schoch, a registered nurse with Summit Pacific Medical Center. "We will not be able to absorb these additional costs and hospitals will be forced to increase costs or cut critical services. I’m concerned about what that would mean for people in my community."

The first of the bills, HB 1868, on Friday was heard by the House Committee on Labor & Workplace Standard, who recommended that the law be passed with substitutions. It has since been referred to the appropriations committee for future action.