Contact Your State Senator: Support IHA/ANA-IL Nurse Staffing Initiative

March 8, 2021

State Advocacy Alert

In a collaborative effort to improve quality and patient safety at hospitals across the state, the American Nurses Association-Illinois (ANA-IL) and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) are supporting bipartisan legislation – “The Nurse Staffing Improvement Act” (Senate Bill 2153) – to strengthen the existing Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act.  SB2153 is sponsored by Senator Sue Rezin (38th District).  See a fact sheet from IHA and ANA-IL for details about the legislation (click here). 

ACTION REQUESTED:  Contact your state Senator and ask her/him to sign on as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2153.

To look up your Senator and her/his Springfield and district office contact information, click here (fill in the zip code box under “Find Officials/Look up and contact your officials” on the right side of the webpage).

You can also send an email message to your Senator by clicking here.

Suggested points for talking to your state Senator:

  • I urge you to sign on as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2153, a bipartisan nurse staffing proposal to strengthen the state’s Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act. The bill is sponsored by Senator Sue Rezin.
  • Our hospital/we strongly support this legislation because it will ensure that direct care nurses have a stronger voice in determining appropriate staffing levels at hospitals, based on the conditions and care needs (acuity) of their patients.
  • Our hospital/we greatly value the work, commitment and compassion of our direct care nurses, and we continually work to provide the best work environment for nurses and quality care for patients.
  • Senate Bill 2153 will provide a meaningful opportunity to improve quality and patient safety by advancing the partnership and collaboration between direct care nurses and hospitals across the state.
  • This proposal also establishes clear mechanisms for transparency, enforcement and penalties to ensure that hospitals comply with safe staffing levels and standards.
  • Key provisions of SB2153 include:
    • Each hospital’s Nursing Care Committee must be comprised of at least 55% direct care nurses and its Co-Chair must be a direct care nurse;
    • The Committee must produce a hospital-wide staffing plan, including inpatient emergency departments;
    • Require the Committee to meet at least six times per year (now once annually), with reports and information from the committee to be provided to direct care nurses;
    • Require a mechanism for nurses to report variations from the staffing plan and a process for such reports to be reviewed and addressed;
    • Prohibit any retaliation for any employee who expresses a concern or complaint regarding a violation of the Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act or concerns related to nurse staffing;
    • Authorize the Illinois Department of Public Health to enforce compliance of these requirements;
    • To help address the nursing shortage, hospitals will provide $2 million over the next four years for nurse scholarships to increase the number of new graduate nurses entering the profession.
  • Please support and sign on as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2153.

If you have any questions about this alert, please contact IHA.