Speaking up for nurses. Concerted political action garners some relief for personnel shortage

To better understand public opinion and encourage trustee and community support concerning the nursing shortage in central New Jersey, a major medical center surveyed 400 household heads in a two-county area with a population of approximately 1 million. The findings suggested that an effective political action plan requiring trustee, hospital, and community involvement could be developed. The survey revealed that 75 percent of the respondents knew about the area nursing shortage, 82 percent believed the shortage was genuine, 67 percent believed it was serious, 86 percent believed it would adversely affect the quality of healthcare, and the majority was willing to take some political action to relieve the shortage. The New Jersey Hospital Association ran a campaign to explain the impact of the nursing shortage and other problems hospitals were facing. This effort suggested hospitals encourage their trustees, employees, and medical staffs to write the governor and key state officials. Hospital administrators, association representatives, and nursing groups lobbied state legislators and attended Hospital Rate Setting Commission hearings. As a result, hospitals received a temporary increase in their reimbursement rates in 1988 specifically intended to raise nursing salaries. In addition, the New Jersey Department of Health promised to reevaluate the cost components on which the state's diagnosis-related group system is based.