Newman said:
“Staffing is among the most crucial parts of a hospital operation, as we have all seen during this pandemic. Staffing determines if an ER or an ICU can keep accepting patients, how many surgeries can be performed at once, and the quality of care patients are likely to receive.”
It is important as ever for hospitals to be transparent about the number of COVID cases among their staff.”
Specifically, the bill would require general acute care hospitals to regularly provide information on any staffing shortages of nurses, layoffs of nurses, furloughs of nurses, cancellation of shifts, and COVID-19 cases and deaths among staff to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Facilities would be required to provide this information weekly during a statewide public health crisis and monthly at all other times.