Congressman Robert C.

Scott
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Robert Scott,

My name is Taylor Neuburg. I am a registered nurse (RN) in Virginia’s Third Congressional

District. I am writing to request your support for bill H.R.2392: Nurse Staffing Standards for
Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017. The purpose of the bill is to set hospital
staffing standards based on the unit type. According to the European Journal of Cardiovascular
Nursing, minimum nurse-to-patient ratios are directly correlated with improved patient outcomes
and decreased mortality rates (Driscoll et al., 2018). Hospitals are often understaffed and as a
result, nurses are assigned more patients than they can safely manage. Not only does being
assigned a large number of patients put patient safety at risk, but it also puts nurses at risk for
making a mistake that could jeopardize their license.

California was the first state to set nursing staffing standards with the passing of the California
Assembly Bill 394 in 1999. Research conducted by The Journal of Nursing Economics revealed
a significant improvement in nurse job satisfaction and patient’s environment of safety after the
implementation of the bill in California (Tellez & Seago, 2013). Supporting Bill H.R.2392 is
important to improve nurse working conditions and overall patient safety.

Passage of bill H.R.2392: Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care
Act of 2017 provides the adoption of a language which will:

● Amend the Public Health Service Act and require hospitals to enforce and submit to the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a staffing plan that correlates with the
minimum nurse-to-patient ratios by unit (U.S. Congress, 2017).
● Require hospitals to publicly post in each unit the nurse-to-patient ratios and keep a
record of actual ratios for each shift in each unit (U.S. Congress, 2017).
● Provide nurses the ability to object or refuse to accept a patient assignment if it would go
against minimum ratios or if they do not feel an assignment is appropriate due to previous
education or experience and could compromise the safety of a patient or risk losing their
license (U.S. Congress, 2017).
● Ensure hospitals are not able to take action or discriminate against nurses for using their
judgment or education to refuse an assignment (U.S. Congress, 2017).

I ask you to support bill H.R.2392: Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and
Quality Care Act of 2017 to improve the provision of healthcare to the citizens of Virginia’s
Third Congressional District. Please contact me with any additional questions you may have.

Respectfully Yours,

Taylor Whitley Neuburg, Registered Nurse

4146 Pritchard Street; Suffolk, Virginia, 23435
 References

Driscoll, A., Grant, M., Carroll, D., Dalton, S., Deaton, C., Jones, I. & Astin, F. (2018). The

effect of nurse-to-patient ratios on nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in acute specialist

units: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Cardiovascular

Nursing, 17(1), 6-22.

Tellez, M., & Seago, J. (2013). California Nurse Staffing Law and RN Workforce

Changes. Nursing Economics, 31(1), 18-26.

U.S. Congress. (2017, May 4). H.R.2392. Retrieved from

https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hr2392/BILLS-115hr2392ih.pdf
Electronic Confirmation
 Honor Pledge

“I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form
of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a
member of the academic community it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violations of
the Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.”

Electronic Signature: Taylor W. Neuburg