Nurse Staffing Improvement Act: Educational Resources and Information
August 30, 2021
MEMORANDUM
On Friday, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law, Senate Bill 2153, now PA102-0641, bipartisan legislation strongly supported by the American Nurses Association-Illinois (ANA-IL) and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) to strengthen the existing Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act as an alternative to proposed ratio legislation.
Senate Bill 2153/PA102-0641, which is effective immediately, provides a meaningful opportunity to improve quality and patient safety by advancing the partnership and collaboration between direct care nurses and hospital administrators across the state. This proposal also establishes clear mechanisms for transparency, enforcement and penalties to ensure compliance.
It is critical that IHA member hospitals together with their nursing leaders take steps now in order to be in compliance. While full implementation of the new law will require ongoing attention and engagement, three immediate priorities have been identified to assist with preparation for the new standards included in Senate Bill 2153:
- Each hospital’s Nursing Care Committee must be comprised of 55% direct inpatient care nurses (now 50%).
- One direct inpatient care nurse must be selected to serve as the Co-Chair of the hospital’s Nursing Care Committee.
- The Nursing Care Committee must meet at least six times per year (now twice annually).
IHA, ANA-IL and the Illinois Organization of Nurse Leaders (IONL) and ICAHN have been working in concert to prepare educational resources intended to assist with the development or improvement of your Nursing Care Committee structure and process. These resources include a detailed overview of the Nurse Staffing Improvement Act of 2021; a “Beginning the Conversation” document; and examples of acuity staffing models, Nursing Care Committee agendas and staffing policies. They can be found by navigating to the IHA Nurse Portal and visiting its Tools & Resources.
NOTE: You must be registered (and have created your own unique password) on the IHA website to access these documents. To register, click here.
We appreciate your efforts to fully implement the provisions contained in SB 2153. If you have any questions, please contact IHA.