The campaigners gathered at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave., where they heard speeches from MSU’s College of Nursing Director of Master Programs Louise Selanders and others before marching to the Capitol for a rally in support of the Safe Patient Care Act.

The act, modeled after legislation passed in California in 2004, would establish a minimum nurse-to-patient ratio that would allow nurses to spend more time with each patient.

Although a version of the bill was introduced to the state House in 2009, it has not gone forward. Another version of the bill was introduced in 2011 and also is in committee. But nurses hope rallies such as Wednesday’s will bring attention to the bill and educate the public and legislators about nursing issues.

“We believe having this assuredness of these numbers is the right thing,” said East Lansing Mayor Diane Goddeeris, who is a registered nurse and spoke at the rally.

“Patients would have a nurse who has time and availability to see them, and it would mean that patient care is safe in this state no matter which hospital you go to.”

Nursing senior Leah Thomas said she attended the march to support the bill because it will affect her once she graduates. She said nurses are overworked with the number of patients they help and often get burned out.

“Because (nurses) are so busy, they don’t really get to know their patients,” she said. “If (the bill) passed, we would be able to do so much more … there would be better patient care all around.”

Jeff Breslin, a registered nurse and the president of the Michigan Nurses Association, spoke in front of the Capitol about the benefits of the bill and the importance of nurse advocacy.

“I think the march today was extremely effective and I think it’s something the legislators really need to hear,” Breslin said. “Nurses did bring them into the world, and in 2012 they can vote
them out.”