Washington nurses urge lawmakers to pass safe staffing bill

RICHLAND, Wash. — “The pandemic has exacerbated the problem, it did not create it,” said David Keepnews, the Executive Director of the Washington State Nurses Association.

The problem?

Tired, overworked and burnt out nurses across Washington.

“Nurses are scared, we’re scared for our patients,” Nikki May, an ICU nurse from the Tri-Cities said.

May said when you force nurses to work to their breaking point, mistakes are inevitable and the person on the end of that mistake, is the patient.

“If I make the wrong decision, it could kill somebody,” she said.

Nikki, who’s a part of the WA Safe and Healthy Coalition, said a shortage of registered nurses isn’t the problem.

“We have a shortage of willing nurses,” she said.