McLaren Bay Region Nurses to Bring Awareness to ‘Safe Staffing September’

McLaren Bay Hospital nurses are kicking off ‘Safe Staffing September’ on Thursday to highlight how RN staffing ratios help keep communities safe and healthy.

As part of their new contract campaign, nearly 400 nurses are demanding for McLaren Bay Region to make an investment in quality patient care. Fewer nurses often means that each nurse must care for more patients, which has created an environment of burnout and employee turnover. According to a recent study, about 39% of Michigan nurses surveyed said they intend to leave their jobs in the next year, revealing the depth of a shortage of nurses in a state that’s been struggling for years to hire enough healthcare workers to keep hospital beds open. In July and August alone, there have been 48 staffing emergencies reported in the McLaren RN unit. Staffing emergencies occur when staffing is so low that McLaren must pull nurses from other departments on the spot.

Nursing officials say it’s proven that adequate staffing levels can result in reduced mortality, shorter hospital stays, and reduced incidence of adverse patient events such as infection.

Last month, Unite Here Local 24 workers at McLaren Bay rallied for a contract seeking safe staffing levels and fair and competitive wages.

Nurses with McLaren Bay Region will start the campaign with a news conference at 9:00 a.m.