State Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) issued the following statement in response to a report the Mayo Clinic emailed Democrat legislative leaders and Governor Walz to share their concerns about legislation being advanced at the state capitol:

“The Mayo Clinic is the gold standard for healthcare and routinely is ranked as the top hospital in the nation. When they, and other cornerstone institutions in Minnesota, sound the alarm about legislation advancing at our Capitol in St. Paul, we must listen.

“Mayo Clinic has warned that committee-driven staffing ratios as required in the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act will exacerbate current staffing challenges. Hospitals have warned the legislation will close beds and hurt access for some of the most vulnerable patients. The Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act fails to recognize that staffing is dynamic, time-sensitive, and patient-specific. Minnesota needs more nurses, not more committees.

“Mayo’s lauded Model of Care and Nursing speaks for itself. Mayo must be allowed to continue their renowned patient-centered care without government-mandated obstacles to providing the best care in the world right here in Minnesota. The needs of the patient must come first.

“I encourage Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) and Sen. Melissa Wiklund (DFL-Bloomington) to drop these dangerous provisions from their House and Senate Health Bills: SF 1561/HF 1700.”