Among the many issues brought to the forefront in the Attorney General’s report on the Governor’s response to COVID-19 in our nursing homes is also an issue that I’ve long been passionate about – safe staffing. The report made clear that understaffing by nursing home operators was also a factor in the unacceptably high number of deaths of our vulnerable seniors during the COVID pandemic. Reporting has shown a similar pattern in our hospitals – too many of our nurses are overworked almost around the clock and face dangerous circumstances. That’s why I’m a sponsor of legislation in the State Assembly (A.2954) that would get more nurses into our hospitals and nursing homes and improve working conditions. 

With this legislation, we can hold nursing homes and hospitals to a higher standard of care for all New Yorkers. We cannot begin to heal New York’s economy without first healing the people in our communities. The heroic nurses and healthcare workers who have served on the frontlines of this pandemic need our support – and safe staffing – now more than ever.