Hundreds of nurses visited the state House chamber in Frankfort on Thursday morning, hoping to see legislators pass HB 159.
The House Bill, in part, protects healthcare providers from criminal prosecution when honest mistakes are made on the job.
“We just want to make sure no one is going to jail for something that is purely human error,” said Kristen Butler, communications chief for the Kentucky Nurses Association.
Butler said there are examples of many nurses around the country who are currently jailed over honest mistakes that can happen when doing such a challenging job and, at times, with limited resources.
“It doesn’t save them from civil liability,” Butler said of the bill. “It just makes sure they’re not going to jail for an error that happened due to insufficient patient ratios,” she explained.
Governor Andy Beshear addressed association members, praising their work before, during, and after the pandemic.
“It is because of all of you that tens of thousands of Kentuckians are alive today who wouldn’t otherwise be,” the Governor said before taking a few questions from the crowd members.