MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
For more information, contact:
Jamie Lucas, (720)621-3689, jlucas@wfnhp.org
Nurses, Healthcare Workers Call “Code Red” on the Healthcare Staffing Crisis, Join with Legislators to Announce the Wisconsin Nurse Staffing and Patient Protection Act
Who: Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, Sens. Larson and Ratcliff, Rep. Subeck
What: Press conference announcing a safe staffing bill to stabilize healthcare as a career and improve patient care
When: Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 9:30 am
Where: Senate Parlor, State Capitol Building in Madison
This morning, healthcare workers and advocates will gather to announce the re-introduction of the Nurse Staffing and Patient Protection Act, a crucial piece of legislation that will require hospitals to provide adequate nursing and direct care staff for all patients at virtually all times by establishing enforceable minimum staffing ratios and banning the practice of mandatory overtime.
The bill was first introduced in 2023, but it never made it out of committee. Unfortunately, Wisconsin, like the rest of the country, is still reeling from a healthcare staffing crisis. Contrary to what healthcare corporations might say, the answers to this crisis go deeper than simply educating and hiring more new healthcare workers or leveraging technology. Healthcare has become unsustainable because the point of care compassion is being milked dry by corporations who champion productivity above all else. We must change that and heal healthcare by empowering those who care for patients. Wisconsin patients, nurses, and healthcare workers need safe staffing ratios.
If hospitals are staffed safely and healthcare workers are treated like the humane, caring, professionals that they are, we can begin to right this ship. We will solve the workforce shortage by raising standards and making healthcare a practical career choice again, and in doing so, we will improve patient care and save hospitals money.
Hospitals are primarily run by not-for-profit corporations. However, these corporations often make for-profit business decisions. These decisions are driving healthcare workers out of the profession in droves, creating a long term crisis that will hit its breaking point, where an aging, sicker population will rely on fewer healthcare workers than they need.
The Nurse Staffing and Patient Protection Act is a necessary piece of legislation for nurses, healthcare workers, and patients. Nurses know this. Healthcare workers know this. It has been lived and studied in other states. It’s time Wisconsin gets on board. WFNHP and allies will continue to champion, advocate, and fight for the things healthcare workers and their patients need.
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Wisconsin FNHP represents nurses & health professionals throughout the state of Wisconsin and is the local affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers healthcare division, which represents more than 130,000 nurses and health professionals in a variety of disciplines and settings.