Members from the Hawai‘i Nurses’ Association testified during a hearing about the need to establish and enforce staff-to-patient ratios at health care facilities across the state.
The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Labor and Technology heard Senate Bill 1580 on Feb. 12. Both committees decided to defer the measure.
The bill covers an issue that has been the source of contention between roughly 600 nurses at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children and the hospital’s management.
Nurses say they are scheduled to have too many patients during their shifts and are subjected to long hours with back-to-back shifts, resulting in burnout.
Nurses say this leads to high turnover rates and difficulty in retaining qualified staff at the hospital.
Last month, the nurses went on strike for a week due to stalled contract negotiations.
Four bargaining sessions happened following the strike, but both sides have not reached an agreement. The next negotiation is scheduled for Feb. 15.
Nurses at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children have been working without a new contract since Dec. 1, 2023.
