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Summary of Question 1
This proposed law would limit how many patients could be assigned to each registered nurse in Massachusetts hospitals and certain other health care facilities. The maximum number of patients per registered nurse would vary by type of unit and level of care, as follows: In units with step-down/intermediate care patients: 3 patients per nurse; In units with post-anesthesia care or operating room patients: 1 patient under anesthesia per nurse; 2 patients post-anesthesia per nurse; In the emergency services department: 1 critical or intensive care patient per nurse (or 2 if the nurse has assessed each patient's condition as stable); 2 urgent non-stable patients per nurse; 3 urgent stable patients per nurse; or 5 non-urgent stable patients per nurse; In units with maternity patients: (a) active labor patients: 1 patient per nurse; (b) during birth and for up to two hours immediately postpartum: 1 mother per nurse and 1 baby per nurse; (c) when the condition of the mother and baby are determined to be stable: 1 mother and her baby or babies per nurse; (d) postpartum: 6 patients per nurse; (e) intermediate care or continuing care babies: 2 babies per nurse; (f) well-babies: 6 babies per nurse; In units with pediatric, medical, surgical, telemetry, or observational/outpatient treatment patients, or any other unit: 4 patients per nurse; and In units with psychiatric or rehabilitation patients: 5 patients per nurse. The proposed law would require a covered facility to comply with the patient assignment limits without reducing its level of nursing, service, maintenance, clerical, professional, and other staff. The proposed law would also require every covered facility to develop a written patient acuity tool for each unit to evaluate the condition of each patient. This tool would be used by nurses in deciding whether patient limits should be lower than the limits of the proposed law at any given time. The proposed law would not override any contract in effect on January 1, 2019 that set higher patient limits. The proposed law's limits would take effect after any such contract expired. The state Health Policy Commission would be required to promulgate regulations to implement the proposed law. The Commission could conduct inspections to ensure compliance with the law. Any facility receiving written notice from the Commission of a complaint or a violation would be required to submit a written compliance plan to the Commission. The Commission could report violations to the state Attorney General, who could file suit to obtain a civil penalty of up to $25,000 per violation as well as up to $25,000 for each day a violation continued after the Commission notified the covered facility of the violation. The Health Policy Commission would be required to establish a toll-free telephone number for complaints and a website where complaints, compliance plans, and violations would appear. The proposed law would prohibit discipline or retaliation against any employee for complying with the patient assignment limits of the law. The proposed law would require every covered facility to post within each unit, patient room, and waiting area a notice explaining the patient limits and how to report violations. Each day of a facility's non-compliance with the posting requirement would be punishable by a civil penalty between $250 and $2,500. The proposed law's requirements would be suspended during a state or nationally declared public health emergency. The proposed law states that, if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect. The proposed law would take effect on January 1, 2019.""

2018 - Middlesex County - Question 1Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives on or before May 2, 2018?

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Middlesex County Results
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City/Town Ward Pct Blanks Total Votes Cast
Totals
182,126
465,200
30,852 678,178
Acton More »
 
2,616
7,847
721
11,184
Arlington More »
 
7,459
15,936
966
24,361
Ashby
 
469
1,112
22
1,603
Ashland More »
 
2,067
5,494
258
7,819
Ayer More »
 
988
2,289
135
3,412
Bedford More »
 
1,583
5,113
230
6,926
Belmont More »
 
3,412
8,861
718
12,991
Billerica More »
 
4,005
13,543
526
18,074
Boxborough
 
628
2,019
104
2,751
Burlington More »
 
3,250
7,469
773
11,492
Cambridge More »
 
17,466
26,014
2,910
46,390
Carlisle
 
570
2,378
41
2,989
Chelmsford More »
 
3,678
12,937
440
17,055
Concord More »
 
2,199
7,702
290
10,191
Dracut More »
 
2,825
10,228
223
13,276
Dunstable
 
431
1,274
32
1,737
Everett More »
 
3,063
6,376
924
10,363
Framingham More »
 
6,841
16,518
1,031
24,390
Groton More »
 
1,468
4,071
298
5,837
Holliston More »
 
2,047
5,370
178
7,595
Hopkinton More »
 
1,938
5,866
207
8,011
Hudson More »
 
2,647
6,007
288
8,942
Lexington More »
 
3,873
11,639
582
16,094
Lincoln More »
 
832
2,586
138
3,556
Littleton More »
 
1,219
3,883
170
5,272
Lowell More »
 
8,141
17,756
1,127
27,024
Malden More »
 
5,973
10,491
1,308
17,772
Marlborough More »
 
4,281
9,672
573
14,526
Maynard More »
 
1,516
3,798
161
5,475
Medford More »
 
8,372
15,980
1,239
25,591
Melrose More »
 
3,726
10,547
424
14,697
Natick More »
 
4,301
12,445
603
17,349
Newton More »
 
9,257
28,125
4,218
41,600
N. Reading More »
 
1,446
5,864
203
7,513
Pepperell More »
 
1,303
4,039
177
5,519
Reading More »
 
2,607
10,566
271
13,444
Sherborn
 
548
1,795
69
2,412
Shirley
 
734
1,988
86
2,808
Somerville More »
 
14,468
19,515
1,613
35,596
Stoneham More »
 
2,294
8,124
734
11,152
Stow More »
 
986
2,846
237
4,069
Sudbury More »
 
2,038
7,141
467
9,646
Tewksbury More »
 
2,852
11,061
424
14,337
Townsend More »
 
956
2,990
91
4,037
Tyngsborough More »
 
1,170
4,198
121
5,489
Wakefield More »
 
2,745
9,791
367
12,903
Waltham More »
 
6,436
14,619
1,323
22,378
Watertown More »
 
5,139
10,224
638
16,001
Wayland More »
 
1,731
5,613
206
7,550
Westford More »
 
2,404
9,100
360
11,864
Weston More »
 
1,040
4,362
166
5,568
Wilmington More »
 
2,159
8,746
389
11,294
Winchester More »
 
2,125
8,753
441
11,319
Woburn More »
 
3,804
12,519
611
16,934
County Totals
182,126
465,200
30,852 678,178