Bethany Bump is reporting for the Times Union a group of New York lawmakers is calling on the state’s Department of Health to establish minimum staffing regulations for hospitals and nursing homes. The department is currently studying the topic and a report is due at the end of the year. In letters sent to Health Commissioner Howard Zucker last week, lawmakers said conducting the study was an “important and necessary step,” but called for further action once it is complete. “We are strong supporters of minimum statewide healthcare worker-patient ratios in hospitals and nursing homes. We believe that the costs of understaffing, in terms of the lives and health of New Yorkers in healthcare facilities, are significant and must be addressed,” they wrote. The letter was signed by 67 members of the Assembly, including local representatives, Didi Barrett, a Democrat, and Chris Tague, a Republican. Concerns around insufficient staffing has been the focus of rallies in the Capital Region 2019, including several held by Albany Medical Center nurses and two held by caregivers at Good Samaritan Village in Delmar. Opponents to the potential legislation include the hospital and nursing home industries. They argue there are other ways to improve patient safety without “inflexible, government-mandated” ratios, which they claim would drive the cost of compliance up and force them to reduce services, lay off staff, or shut down altogether. Department of Health spokesperson Jill Montag said the lawmakers' letter is being reviewed. She said the department is looking forward to sharing the report, though she did not provide a date for its release. Read the full story in the Times Union.