“I couldn’t have a better Christmas gift,” Ron Smith of Oakwood said.
Smith ― who is the father of Tristin Kate Smith, a Dayton nurse who died by suicide on Aug. 7, 2023 ― was at DeWine’s signing of the bill, along with his daughter Daye Smith. Smith and his family have continued to advocate for safer working conditions for nurses after Ron Smith found a letter Tristin had written about the strain the nursing profession had on her.
“I’m thrilled. It’s a start,” Smith said.
Smith plans to continue to advocate for nurses in Ohio, including promoting staffing ratios for how many patients a nurse is responsible for, depending on the setting. Smith sees the letter his daughter Tristin left behind as “an action list of what her grievances were,” he said.
Smith also hopes to see more supports for nurses’ mental health, he said.
“The mental health of our nurses is critical,” Smith said.
The passage was lauded by other nurse advocates.
“The passage of House Bill 452 is a testament to the strength of solidarity and advocacy by nurses and health professionals,” said Rick Lucas, president and executive director of the Ohio Nurses Association. “By standing together, we have taken an important step toward creating safer workplaces.”
“While more must be done to ensure health care providers can focus on delivering quality care without the constant threat of violence, this victory is a reminder of what we can accomplish when nurses and health professionals unite and use their collective voice,” Lucas said.
Unsafe staffing and other workplace challenges still jeopardize patient care and the nursing profession, Lucas said.
“We must continue advocating for meaningful reforms that make our workplaces safer and strengthen the health care system for everyone,” Lucas said.
Prior to the Ohio General Assembly approving the bill, the Ohio Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee incorporated elements of Senate Bill 32, which passed the Ohio Senate in November, to House Bill 452.
“The amendment will grant civil immunity for certain injuries to a person who acts in self-defense or defense of another during the commission or imminent commission of a threat of violence to protect the members or guests of a nonprofit corporation under certain circumstances,” said state Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, who chairs the Ohio Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee.
The sponsors of the bill also approved of both the amendments.
“Our goal with this legislation is to better support our frontline health care workers who are so often serving our most wounded, traumatized and physically and mentally struggling citizens,” said White.
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