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According to JNESO, the labor union representing more than 1,400 nurses at Virtua hospitals in New Jersey, their nurses have reached an agreement with hospital management and are calling off their plans to strike. The sticking point that almost led to the nurses' strike was not wages, but low staffing levels and patient acuity— the number of patients assigned to each nurse and the level of care that they need. JNESO filed a complaint last fall with the New Jersey Department of Health, alleging violations of state licensing standards related to nurse-to-patient ratios. In February, the state department of health cited Virtua after investigating the allegations. Since negotiations began in January, the health system has hired 63 new nurses and is actively recruiting 100 more. Virtua has also agreed to purchase an acuity system to be phased in over the next several months. In the meantime, the hospital is forming a workgroup with bedside nurses to determine an effective method for measuring patient acuity before the system is in place.