(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has released a report examining the impact of New York’s Safe Staffing Laws that passed in 2021.

The report is the first attempt to measure the impact the Law has had on staffing levels in New York’s Hospitals.

Unsafe staffing levels in New York’s Hospitals undermine the quality of care patients receive, NYSNA Representatives said.

The State Staffing Law created an independent Advisory Commission tasked with releasing a report in October 2024 to assess the Law’s effectiveness and make recommendations to the New York Legislature.

However, the Commission has yet to release a report due to the lack of data available to evaluate Staffing Law progress.  

The NYSNA report attempts to fill this gap by analyzing data gathered through polls, direct Member reporting and case studies from the experience of Front Line Registered Nurses.

It also examines the roots of the Nurse staffing crisis, implementation of the Law and offers recommendations to improve staffing conditions in all hospitals around the State.

New data analysis from the report finds a majority of hospitals fail to publicly post all staffing plans and actual daily staffing levels in all Units of the hospital, as the Law requires.

It also finds that surveyed hospitals failed to staff ICU and critical care patients at the 1:2 nurse-to-patient ratio mandated by the Staffing Law more than 50% of the time.

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said: “Safe staffing continues to be New York Nurses’ top priority, because we know that upholding these safety standards will keep our patients safe and improve hospital care everywhere.  New York needs a strong Staffing Law that works for Nurses and patients and holds hospitals accountable.  We will continue advocating to increase implementation and enforcement of the Staffing Law, as well as other policies that help recruit, retain and train enough Nurses for quality patient care.”

NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, who was instrumental in advocating for the Staffing Laws that passed in 2021, said: “Nurses are the patient advocates, but we cannot do it alone.  Nurses and patients deserve to see more success stories and more hospitals meet safe staffing standards. This report shines a light on the ongoing staffing crisis and gives policymakers a roadmap to improving staffing in New York’s hospitals.”

NYSNA is urging regulators and policymakers to strengthen the current law and follow the Union’s other recommendations for addressing the Nurse staffing crisis.

NYSNA recommends: The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) must increase transparency so that the public can see actual staffing levels in New York’s Hospitals; The NYSDOH must enforce Safe Staffing Standards as the law requires; Expand Nurse recruitment and retention; Restore quality training and orientation programs; and Respect Nurses by improving working conditions, including health and safety protections, pay and benefits. 

NYSNA, which represents more than 42,000 Members across the State, is New York’s largest Union and Professional Association for Registered Nurses.

NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU) the country's largest and fastest-growing Union and Professional Association of Registered Nurses, with more than 225,000 Members nationwide.

Read The NYSNA Report Here.