Bad bills may still cripple local health care

Bills in the Legislature are proposing mandating nursing ratios and restricting how health care facilities can contract for on-call professionals, both of which provide the kind of flexibility without which rural, critical care hospitals may not function well at all.

Two local doctors wrote to the legislature on the bill currently up for a committee hearing tomorrow (Thursday) in the Senate. The Star was asked to publish their thoughts too, and a third letter, by a nurse who gets into the details of day-to-day needs for flexibility will also be published online only due to its length.

I wrote last week that the bills could be “well-intended but possibly disastrous.” The doctors are less optimistic. Read their more considered concerns, then write to your legislators or go to https://www.protectpatientsafetyandaccess.com and add your thoughts.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher