For Immediate Release
Thursday, October 10, 2002
United Nurses Association of CA Holds 30th Annual Convention Oct. 13-16
Nursing Shortage and Patient-Staff Ratios Top Convention Agenda
Washington, DC —A top leader of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the nation's largest public service employees and health care workers union with 1.3 million members, will address the 30th annual convention of the United Nurses Association of California (UNAC) on Monday, October 14. Paul Booth, special assistant to AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee, will speak at 9:15 a.m. The convention takes place Oct. 13-16 at the Palm Springs Riviera Resort.
The nationwide nursing shortage and patient-staffing ratios will top the agenda as more than 400 registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and optometrists gather for the four-day conference. In a 2001 survey, AFSCME nurses revealed that inadequate staffing and the nursing shortage were their top two concerns. AFSCME nurses reported that they are increasingly concerned that an insufficient nursing pool is jeopardizing the quality of care that patients receive. In addition, not only are nursing shifts short-staffed, but the nurses on duty are fatigued and stressed.
"There are three issues on the mind of every working nurse: staffing, staffing and staffing," said Kathy Sackman, RN, president of UNAC. "The safety of patients and the quality of the care they receive is dependent on the working conditions of the health care provider."
A recent American Hospital Association (AHA) study says that hospitals are experiencing an 84 percent shortage in registered nurses, and that the short and long-term shortages present a looming healthcare crisis that will not disappear in the near future. In an effort to combat the nursing shortage, the California Department of Health Services (DHS) proposed legislation that will establish mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios in all areas of state healthcare.
United Nurses of America represents 60,000 registered and licensed practical nurses and is an AFSCME affiliate.
