I manage a dialysis center in Georgia and firsthand, I am witnessing the devastating effects of our recent change in the nurse-to-patient ratio. Previously, this ratio was at a manageable 1:10; now, however, it has risen to 1:12. This increase might seem small, but it has tremendous implications for patient care and team morale.

Patients' lives are at stake: dialysis is a delicate process, and the risk of complications increases when a single nurse is responsible for monitoring the health conditions of more patients. Simultaneously, the healthcare professionals are spread too thin, leading to burnout and decreased satisfaction in their work. This daunting situation is the result of dialysis companies adjusting their budgets due to the higher nurse-to-patient ratio imposed by the authorities.

In addition to these struggles, nurses are being dual-assigned as technicians, which diverts them from performing effective assessments—a critical part of their role. This forces me as a manager to dismiss a trained technician from daily operations to balance the squeezed budget—further compounding risk to patient service and team morale.

Therefore, we urgently petition the governing health authorities in Georgia to roll back to the previous 1:10 nurse-to-patient ratio in dialysis centers. Additionally, the policy should explicitly state that nurses should not be dual-assigned as technicians, to ensure that their focus remains strictly on patient care.

We strongly believe that this change will safeguard the wellbeing of thousands of dialysis patients and boost the job satisfaction of hardworking healthcare professionals. We can't afford to make compromises when it comes to healthcare – sign this petition to help us fight for quality patient care.