Albany lawmakers are considering a scheme to leave patients home all alone, instead of in hospitals with 24/7 quality care. Under Hospital At Home programs, patients are monitored virtually in their homes, instead of receiving around-the-clock expert care.
Nurses are sounding the alarm that Home All Alone programs harm quality patient care by:
Reducing real nursing care.
Increasing emergency response time.
Shifting the responsibility and costs for patient care and support services from hospital staff to patients or their families.
Enabling for-profit contractors to upcharge patients.
Failing to have strict criteria to determine which patients qualify for Hospital At Home.
Reducing hospital staff and capacity, making hospitals less prepared to handle public health emergencies or sudden surges in demand.
Putting increasing pressure to close in-patient hospital units or entire hospitals, especially in rural, underserved communities.
Sign the petition to tell your legislators to say NO to the Hospital At Home proposal in the New York state budget that puts patients at risk!
