August 10, 2017

The Honorable John Delaney

1632 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Delaney:

My name is LaDonna Henderson and I am a registered nurse who resides in your district.
I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor House bill 2392: Nurse Staffing Standards for
Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017. This bill would amend the Public
Health Service Act to establish registered nurse staffing requirements in hospital settings.

At the core of quality nursing care is safety, for both nurses and patients. In order to
accomplish this, it is necessary for hospitals to maintain safe nurse-patient ratios. Here is
some data to consider:

Low staffing ratios are significantly correlated with poor patient outcomes
Even adding one patient to a nurses average workload has an increased financial
impact on hospital reimbursement rates
Every additional patient added to a hospital staff nurses workload is associated
with a 7% increased risk of patient mortality

Nursing today has become more complex as nurses take on greater responsibilities in
caring for a more complicated patient population. Ensuring safe nurse-patient ratios, as I
believe are outlined in this bill, allows nurses to provide the quality care we envision for
our patients, as well as decreases hospital admissions and adverse sentinel events.

As a nursing professional, I remain dedicated to advancing in my role as an advocate and

seek to make a positive difference in the lives of those I serve. I ask you to do the same
and support this important piece of legislation. Please make nurse and patient safety a
priority by co-sponsoring this bill.

Thank you for considering my request and for the work you do on behalf of the people in
our district.

Sincerely,

LaDonna Henderson
20232 Tidewinds Way
Germantown, MD, 20874
Phone: 240-855-6231
 References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2004, March). Hospital nurse staffing and

quality of care [Fact Sheet]. Retrieved from

http://archive.ahrq.gov/research/findings/factsheets/services/nursestaffing/nursest

aff.html

Department For Professional Employees AFL-CIO. (2014). Safe-staffing ratios:

Benefiting nurses and patients [Fact Sheet]. Retrieved from

http://dpeaflcio.org/programs-publications/issue-fact-sheets/safe-staffing-ratios-

benefiting-nurses-and-patients/

National Nurses United. (2016). National campaign for safe RN-to-patient staffing ratios.

Retrieved from http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/issues/entry/ratios

Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017, H.R.2392,

115th Cong. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-

congress/house-bill/2392