BOSTON (WHDH) - There will be three questions on the ballot in Massachusetts Tuesday, including the hotly contested Question 1 — a measure that would limit the number of patients nurses can tend to in hospitals and health clinics.
Yes on 1 supporters held a rally at Faneuil Hall Thursday. They call it a matter of safety and say hospital executives haven’t listened, so they’re taking it to voters.
“If you are in a hospital where this bill would apply, you require nursing care. You require that 24/7 monitoring that you can’t get in a doctor’s office or a minute-clinic,” Massachusetts Nurses Association President Donna Kelly-Williams said. “That’s why this matters. Because you or your loved one will be a patient who needs that care. You deserve better. There should be limits.”
Opponents of the question held a competing rally at the State House, saying this is a one-size-fits-all approach that will cost millions of dollars and would create longer wait times at emergency rooms.
“If it were to pass, Question 1 would replace the decision-making of nurses with the rigid government mandate that would impact the care of every single one of our patients,” Mass General Hospital nurse Anne Marie Thompson said. “I’m certain that if Question 1 passes, there will be a serious domino effect.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)