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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 - Norfolk 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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Norfolk County Results
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City/Town Ward Pct Blanks Total Votes Cast
Totals
88,647
215,607
7,898 312,152
Avon
 
568
1,297
85
1,950
Bellingham More »
 
1,835
5,171
230
7,236
Braintree More »
 
5,061
11,546
440
17,047
Brookline More »
 
7,146
17,329
1,032
25,507
Canton More »
 
2,998
7,773
307
11,078
Cohasset More »
 
1,102
3,319
45
4,466
Dedham More »
 
4,030
8,090
319
12,439
Dover
 
585
2,482
66
3,133
Foxborough More »
 
2,496
5,944
161
8,601
Franklin More »
 
3,838
10,988
341
15,167
Holbrook More »
 
1,310
3,077
128
4,515
Medfield More »
 
1,489
4,980
191
6,660
Medway More »
 
1,605
4,694
125
6,424
Millis More »
 
1,292
2,993
62
4,347
Milton More »
 
3,876
9,839
372
14,087
Needham More »
 
3,452
12,711
282
16,445
Norfolk More »
 
1,339
3,880
96
5,315
Norwood More »
 
4,533
8,342
280
13,155
Plainville More »
 
1,171
2,891
90
4,152
Quincy More »
 
11,958
21,169
972
34,099
Randolph More »
 
4,127
7,527
405
12,059
Sharon More »
 
2,373
6,230
190
8,793
Stoughton More »
 
3,501
7,358
357
11,216
Walpole More »
 
3,432
8,589
295
12,316
Wellesley More »
 
2,655
10,306
221
13,182
Westwood More »
 
2,039
6,058
194
8,291
Weymouth More »
 
7,379
17,039
463
24,881
Wrentham More »
 
1,457
3,985
149
5,591
County Totals
88,647
215,607
7,898 312,152