State Rep. Aaron Miller delivered testimony Wednesday before the House Health Policy Committee in support of a bill he sponsored, which would require hospitals in the state of Michigan to disclose nurse staffing ratios to the public.

Miller’s bill is part of a bipartisan package intended to combat the under-staffing of nurses, which results in some nurses being required to work 18-hour shifts and leaves many patients without proper care, his staff said.

Nurses who spoke in support of the legislation shared the concerns they have for patients who require constant care that current staffing levels simply cannot provide.

“These stories are not theoretical or analytical, they are the real-deal,” Miller said, as he shared a story of a family friend who fell in her hospital room and died alone on the floor as there were not enough nurses on staff to find her.

It was a tragedy Miller said was avoidable.

Miller believes sharing the staffing levels with the public is the right thing to do, and will help hold hospitals accountable, his staff said.

“It’s common sense,” Miller said.  “As a teacher, I know that teaching 15 students at a time is certainly different than teaching 30. The same is true for nurse-to-patient ratios. People deserve to know the ratios before they admit themselves into a hospital.”

Other bills in the package include:

• Requirement for hospitals to create and implement a staffing plan for registered nurses in each unit of the hospital

• Requirements for hospitals to form a staffing committee for each unit to assist in developing the plan

• Restrictions for hospitals from requiring mandatory overtime for RNs

• Permission for the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to impose sanctions and fines against a hospital for violating the requirements within the bill

House Bills 4629-4631 remain under consideration by the House Health Policy Committee.