Nurses hold the line for safe staffing at Interfaith Medical Center

BROOKLYN, March 26, 2012 — When Interfaith Medical Center proposed cutting staffing levels, nurses said “No way” and geared up to picket the hospital—and it worked. Nurses have won a renewed commitment to safe staffing at the Bed-Stuy hospital, working past midnight to win an agreement.

Earlier this year, Interfaith proposed cutting staffing levels from one nurse on duty for every six patients, to just one nurse for every eight.

Under the new agreement, management commits to maintain the staffing levels at one nurse to every six patients—the same as staffing levels at other Brooklyn hospitals like Methodist and Maimonides.

“We take care of patients in some of Brooklyn’s poorest neighborhoods,” said Sharon Bedford, a nurse at Interfaith and a member of the New York State Nurses Association. “The hospital’s renewed commitment to staffing levels will help ensure a high quality of patient care in our community.”

Nurses will vote on the agreement on April 2.

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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