Washington nurses, hospitals at odds over bill limiting overtime, requiring rest breaks
Published by THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW on 4/2/19 (Source)
A bill requiring nurses in Washington state to take rest breaks and prohibiting mandatory overtime is placing health care practitioners and the hospitals that employ them at odds.
Hospitals are arguing that the bill, sponsored in part by Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, will cause health care costs to increase and delay certain procedures intended to reduce the suffering of patients, while groups representing the nurses argue the measure is an overdue protection against medical errors caused by fatigue and nursing shortages caused by burnout.