Morgan McKay is reporting for State of Politics the state Department of Health's report on minimum staffing levels in hospitals and nursing homes is finally out, almost eight months past deadline. Pat Kane, executive director of the State Nurses Association, says her organization has been pushing for the imposition of a minimum staffing requirement since the 90s. The nurses group disagreed with most of the report's main findings, but especially the part about costs. Health officials said in order to achieve a minimum staffing level, it would cost hospitals an additional $2.4 billion and nursing homes an additional $2.3 billion. “We do not agree with that cost,” Kane emphasized. “That’s the number that we have seen thrown around over the years...," she said. The Health Department also found that a minimum staffing requirement would be nearly impossible for many hospitals, citing a nursing shortage that could continue for the next decade. Dr. David Goede, president of the Nurse Practitioner Association, agrees that minimum staffing requirements should be flexible depending on the region. Yet, he also believes the state should do more to increase the number of nurses and nurse practitioners. The report also noted there was “limited data available on the nurse workforce in New York,” making this entire analysis challenging. Kane says this is troubling since hospitals are required by law to report how many staff they employ. The state Department of Health was mandated by law to release a report looking at minimum staffing levels in hospitals and nursing homes by the end of 2019. State Senator James Skoufis called the late report inexcusable. Skoufis said, “And to not mince words here, the Department of Health broke the law.” Health officials released a statement defending the department's actions, citing the "the unprecedented and ongoing public health crisis." However, the study was due long before the COVID-19 crisis began its sweep through New York. California is the only state right now to have a mandated minimum nurse to patient ratio. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.