Nurse appeals to Rubio for help improving patient care

Florida has one of the highest percentages of senior citizens. The ability to help care for those senior citizens has been a great honor. Lives are put into the hands of nurses every day, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day including holidays. We know this going into the profession and still we give all of ourselves, sometimes losing part of our hearts.

Nurses need the help of Sen. Marco Rubio, as a member of the Special Committee on Aging. There are many hospitals that continue to jeopardize the safety of our communities in order to boost their profit margins. There is overwhelming evidence that staffing according to the standard of care equals better patient outcomes, yet this evidence continues to be ignored. Why? Because there is no law that holds hospitals accountable? Most patients have no idea that I, as a critical care nurse in the cardiovascular unit, was assigned to three patients on a routine basis. But nurses know. And we, in the past, just kept quiet, trying to give the best care possible. Often, bedside nurses are bullied and put into hostile work environments by their very own administration, who threaten our jobs if we speak up about unsafe conditions. It’s time for transparency.

I am 100% for a free enterprise system. We have the best country in the world. However, when a hospital system recklessly understaffs their units, a line has been crossed. Recently in Massachusetts, voters went to the polls to vote on a bill that would make it illegal for hospitals to continue the exploitation of patients in order to increase their profits. The measure failed. Why? I have seen reports that the hospital corporations along with a few other donors spent $29 million campaigning against it.

I see so many signs that instruct people to report Medicare/Medicaid fraud. If you are not receiving the standard of care in a hospital, should the hospital have a right to bill and receive those funds? These are taxpayer monies; don’t we have a say in how they are spent? I want my patients to get the care we PAY for.

Safe hospital/nursing home staffing and being profitable can be achieved. I have seen it. My colleagues urge Sen. Rubio and the rest of our elected officials to engage with bedside nurses. Listen to our voices. Hear our advocacy. Help us save lives.

Julie Griffin, Fort Lauderdale