Illinois nurses rally behind bill to limit patient-to-nurse ratios

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Nurses across Illinois are putting their weight behind proposed legislation that would limit the number of patients they are allowed to care for at once.

The bill, called the Safe Patients Limit Act, would require hospitals to keep smaller ratios between patients and registered nurses.

Supporters of the bill say fixing staffing levels would fight burnout and boost retention rates for the occupation.

Nurses also said having higher patient-to-nurse ratios affects how they serve patients.

“You’re not given the safest of care because someone could very easily fall. It could be an injury. And there are instances where we have to monitor for any side effects from our procedure,” one nurse said.

Under the bill, the ratio of patients-to-nurses would depend on what department they work in, with a 1:1 ratio for operating room nurses, to 1:6 for nurses in the well-baby nursery.