Call for “no” vote on Question 1

We are the medical staff of Spaulding Hospital Cambridge, and we are voting “NO” on Question 1. In our hospital, nurse staffing ratios are based on a patient’s specific needs and the skill and experience of the nurses on duty. Question 1 would force all hospitals to staff nurses the same way. This rigid one-size-fits-all approach simply does not make sense. Many hospitals, including ours, will be forced to close units. As a result, patients will lose access to the rehabilitation and complex medical care. At a time of already rising healthcare costs, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission found that Question 1 will add nearly one billion dollars to the cost of care in Massachusetts. That is simply irresponsible. We implore voters to read Ballot Question 1 in its entirety and to consider its many unintended consequences.

— Submitted by:

Jonathon Schwartz, MD / Robert Nace, MD / Bruce Bonnell, MD / Donna Roy, MD / Lisa Simonian, NP / Sandra Suduikis, MD / Rich Zaniewski, DO/ Sorina Ghiran, MD / Cheme Dolma, NP / Taran Pawar, MD / Jin Chae, MD / Lerzan Kizilay, MD / Syed Rahman, MD / Olivia Zurek, MD / Jake Holzer, MD