Alaska § 18.20.410 - Temporary nurse staffing emergency.

§ 18.20.410. Temporary nurse staffing emergency.

 (a) If, after making a substantial and reasonable effort to increase the number of available nurses on staff and failing in that effort, a health care facility in a rural community determines it is not able to meet the overtime limitations in AS 18.20.400 without putting the safety of its patients at risk of serious harm, the health care facility may declare a temporary nurse staffing emergency. A declaration of a temporary nurse staffing emergency under this section        (1) must be made in a writing, signed by the administrator of the health care facility or the administrator's designee, that describes the facility's reasonable effort to avoid the temporary nurse staffing emergency; and

 (2) may not exceed 30 days.

 (b) Immediately after declaring a temporary nurse staffing emergency under (a) of this section, a health care facility shall file with the division of labor standards and safety, Department of Labor and Workforce Development, a report that includes a copy of the signed writing required under (a) of this section. A report under this subsection is a public document.

 (c) In addition to the requirements of (a) and (b) of this section, a health care facility shall notify the legislature immediately by delivery of a written report to the Alaska Legislative Council each time the facility declares a temporary nurse staffing emergency under AS 18.20.400 (c) that exceeds two occurrences in a six-month period that begins on January 1 or July 1 of the year in which the declaration occurs, or three occurrences in the one-year period that begins on January 1 of that year. A report under this subsection must include a copy of each report that is required of the health care facility under (b) of this section for the one-year period that begins on January 1 of the year the excessive declaration under this subsection occurs.