Senate Majority Leader Moreno's Bill to Improve Hospital Preparedness Clears Senate

HB22-1401 ensures health facilities are equipped to meet increased demands for care

DENVER, CO - The Senate today signed off on Majority Leader Dominick Moreno’s, D-Commerce City, legislation to improve hospitals’ and health facilities’ preparedness to meet increased demands for care.

HB22-1401 requires every Colorado hospital to establish a nurse staffing plan to meet patient needs when demand surges. It applies lessons learned from the pandemic to enable hospitals to quickly increase their capacity. Hospitals will have to report their plans to the Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and publicize them on their website. They will also have to evaluate their plans quarterly to address feedback and or complaints from health care providers.

"Every day, Colorado's nurses go above and beyond to save lives and keep our hospitals running," said Moreno. "As a result, far too many of our healthcare workers are overworked and burnt out from the demands of their jobs. By requiring hospitals to establish a plan to meet increased demand for patient care, we can combat those feelings of burnout within our nurses and ensure a high level of patient care that Coloradans deserve.

HB22-1401 also requires hospitals to report the number of beds they are able to staff, their current bed capacity, and instances where staffed-bed capacity exceeds 80 percent.

HB22-1401 will now head to the House for final concurrence. Follow the bill’s progress HERE.