A group that advocates for safety in health care says New York hospitals are keeping patients and the public in the dark about their actual nursing staff levels.
The health consumer rights organization New Yorkers for Patient and Family Empowerment is out with a new report outlining how short-staffing in hospitals puts patients at risk.
It's Executive director, Suzanne Mattei, authored the report.
She says out of the 95 largest hospitals in New York State, only one, SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, posted its nurse to patient ratios for various units.
"We really need to know what is the bottom line. At what point does the hospital say there aren't enough nurses in this unit -- we have to bring more nurses in."
The report concludes under staffing puts patients at risk for infection, even untimely death.
In response, Strong Memorial Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Patricia Witzel says they are always pleased and prepared to provide information about nurse staffing levels, which are carefully developed based on the needs of patients.
Rochester Regional Health released a statement saying it staffs its nursing units based on several vital factors to provide the most appropriate level of patient care.
RRH says its staffing approach is alignment with the American Nurses Association and several other professional and regulatory groups.