NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 4 Lobbying for Change

Name

Capella university

NHS-FPX 6008 Economics and Decision Making in Health Care

Prof. Name

Date

Lobbying for Change

October 2024

Governor Kathy Hochul
NY State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Respected Madam, 

This letter addresses the critical issue of New York State’s severe nursing shortage, particularly at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. The New York State Department of Health (2023) reports that over 40,000 nurses are needed to meet demand. This shortage forces hospitals to rely on costly temporary staffing, driving up expenses. For local residents, it means longer wait times, reduced care quality, and increased preventable health issues, with vulnerable populations being most affected due to limited access and poor care quality (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2022). Immediate action is essential to protect public health and reduce the financial strain on the state’s healthcare system.

Taking action on the nursing shortage in New York State will lead to substantial benefits for both the healthcare system and the communities it serves. Adequate staffing will enhance organizations’ financial stability by reducing reliance on costly temporary nurses (Beauvais et al., 2023). Research indicates that improved nurse-to-patient ratios increase patient satisfaction and decrease hospital readmissions, leading to cost savings and better health outcomes (Lasater et al., 2021). However, if the shortage persists, healthcare providers will face increased burnout, turnover, and compromised patient safety (Haddad et al., 2023). This decline in care quality will exacerbate healthcare disparities and elevate long-term costs for the state. Your leadership is vital in creating a stronger, more efficient healthcare system for all New Yorkers.

NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 4 Lobbying for Change

This issue significantly impacts healthcare institutions, local communities, the state, and the nation. At an organizational level, nursing shortages may lead to higher rates of medical errors, nurse burnout, and even patient mortality due to compromised care (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2022). Locally, communities may continue experiencing decreased access to quality care, longer wait times, and lower patient satisfaction. Statewide, hospitals struggle to meet regulatory standards, which may result in financial penalties from governing bodies. Nationally, the nursing shortage further strains the healthcare system, worsening public health outcomes and increasing costs from preventable complications and extended hospital stays (Peutere et al., 2023).

To address this shortage, our three-pronged approach focuses on reducing the nurse-to-patient ratio, which enhances patient care (Nakweenda et al., 2022). It aligns with the ethical principle of equitable and fair allocation of human resources. Additionally, creating a collaborative environment with sufficient non-clinical support will allow nurses to focus on patient care, aligning with the ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Finally, our retention strategy includes culturally inclusive career development and recognition programs, promoting equity and diversity in the workplace (Pressley & Garside, 2023). 

NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 4 Lobbying for Change

I recall that during my work as a nursing supervisor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which has been recently understaffed, the outcomes of long waiting times and heightened stress resulted in an undesired situation. This affirmed to me that it is important to come up with the best resource planning since it helps in determining staffing levels sufficient to cater to the patients’ needs. In this case, I was instrumental in leading a team that looked into its staffing needs based on admission rates, the number of patients, and nurses’ strengths and weaknesses.

For strategic resource planning, I accomplished this by changing nursing staff work assignments according to their abilities. Moreover, I engaged a cross-functional group to establish a retention strategy oriented on career path and appreciation that increased satisfaction of the nurses and decreased turnover in the future. I learned in this practical experience that sound planning for resources and adequate risk assessment in connection to staffing cuts in a way that affects patients as well as teams of nurses.

Therefore, I advocate for tackling the nursing staffing shortage to enhance patient outcomes and support the well-being of healthcare professionals. Increasing staffing levels will lead to better patient care, decreased burnout among nurses, and overall cost savings for healthcare facilities. I urge you to consider improving the nurse-to-patient ratio and supporting retention programs to improve the quality of care in New York-Presbyterian Hospital, ultimately improving healthcare systems within the state. Thank you for your attention to this critical issue.

Sincerely,

Your name

References 

Beauvais, B., Kruse, C. S., Ramamonjiarivelo, Z., Pradhan, R., Sen, K., & Fulton, L. V. (2023). An exploratory analysis of the association between hospital labor costs and the quality of care. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 16, 1075–1091. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s410296 

Haddad, L. M., Butler, T. J. T., & Annamaraju, P. (2023). Nursing shortage. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493175/

Lasater, K. B., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., French, R., Anusiewicz, C. V., Martin, B., Reneau, K., Alexander, M., & McHugh, M. D. (2021). Is hospital nurse staffing legislation in the public’s interest? Medical Care, 59(5). https://doi.org/10.1097/mlr.0000000000001519 

Nakweenda, M., Anthonie, R., & van der Heever, M. (2022). Staff shortages in critical care units: Critical care nurses experiences. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 17, 100412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2022.100412

NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 4 Lobbying for Change

New York State Department of Health. (2023, May 10). New York State Department of Health honors 350,000 nurses in observance of National Nurses Week, May 6 – 12. health.ny.gov. https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2023/2023-05-10_nurses_week.htm

Peutere, L., Kirsi Terho, Jaana Pentti, Annina Ropponen, Kivimäki, M., Mikko Härmä, Oxana Krutova, Ervasti, J., Koskinen, A., & Virtanen, M. (2023). Nurse staffing level, length of work experience, and risk of health care–associated infections among hospital patients. Med Care, 61(5), 279–287. https://doi.org/10.1097/mlr.0000000000001843

Pressley, C., & Garside, J. (2023). Safeguarding the retention of nurses: A systematic review on determinants of nurse’s intentions to stay. Nursing Open, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1588

Tamata, A. T., & Mohammadnezhad, M. (2022). A systematic review study on the factors affecting shortage of nursing workforce in the hospitals. Nursing Open, 10(3), 1247–1257. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1434