News Briefs: June 2015
NYSNA Members Receive Caribbean American Healthcare Awards
NYSNA members Nancy Hagans, RN and LBU Chair at Maimonides Medical Center, and Curlean Duncan-Britton, RN at Kings County Hospital Center, received the 2015 Caribbean American Healthcare Award. Each year, Caribbean Life newspaper and the Community News Group grants the award to Caribbean nationals who have made outstanding contributions to healthcare in New York City. At this year’s awards celebration on June 25, a total of 32 individuals were recognized for their service.
ECMC Members Help GOTV
Erie County Medical Center members helped get out the vote in the Buffalo area by going door-to-door on Saturday, June 20, for a non-partisan voter registration drive sponsored by the Western New York Area Labor Federation.
Beth Abraham CenterLight
Nearly 40 nurses traveled from throughout the metro area to hold an informational picket outside of CenterLight Health System’s Allerton Avenue office on May 20. The nurses were joined by their children, grandchildren, and even managers and doctors as they sought to shine light on the dangerous conditions that staff and patients have endured since last winter when CenterLight displaced 62 nurses and eliminated an entire department. Just recently, it laid off 1199SEIU support staff, creating even greater workloads for remaining staff and compromising quality patient care.
CenterLight (formerly Beth Abraham Family of Health Services) operates the Select Medicaid Managed Long Term Care and PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly) at numerous locations throughout New York City, Westchester, Nassau, Rockland and Suffolk Counties.
Capital District Labor Celebration
The Capital District Area Labor Federation held its 10th Annual Appreciation Gala on June 18 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, where friends gathered to recognize the passion and dedication of the federation’s 100,000 members. NYSNA members from Ellis Medicine (Schenectady) and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center (Utica) attended to help celebrate the evening’s honorees: Sara Niccoli, Executive Director of the Labor-Religion Coalition of NYS and a staunch safe staffing supporter; and Kaseem Moultrie, Lead Organizer for SEIU 200United.
Fight for $15 Goes to Albany
NYSNA joined other unions and working family advocates on June 22 to rally for a $15 an hour minimum wage. The group gathered while the state wage board met to discuss raising fast food workers' minimum wage. Assemblyman Phil Steck (D, 110th District) spoke on behalf of his colleagues when he told the crowd, “support for raising the minimum wage is not just good for workers who make low wages, it’s good for everyone and our state’s economic health.”
NYSNA President honored
The Chippewa Democratic Club honored NYSNA President Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez at its June 4 Annual Dinner Dance. Karine Raymond, RN and NYSNA Board Member, accepted the award on her behalf.