ALBANY, N.Y. — Nurses on the front lines of New York's COVID-19 pandemic are calling for the state to enact minimum staffing standards ahead of another wave of infections.
Health care industry leaders warn that passing such a law would saddle facilities with billions of dollars in extra costs they can't afford.
Under legislation now before a legislative committee, the state would set minimum nurse-to-patient ratios for the first time, including a standard of one nurse for every two patients in intensive care units. California now has such a law. Most other states don't.