Nurses Call on Albany Med to Stop Hiding Staffing Crisis that Threatens Patient Care
For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024
Contact:
Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Eliza Bates | press@nysna.org| 646-285-8491
NURSES CALL ON ALBANY MED TO STOP HIDING STAFFING CRISIS THAT THREATENS PATIENT CARE
Albany Medical Center has been cited for at least 50 violations of New York’s safe staffing laws, but hospital administrators are still trying to keep the staffing crisis a secret
Nurses demand Albany Med executives stop hiding the truth about unsafe staffing and put quality patient care first
Albany, N.Y. - On Thursday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m., NYSNA nurses held a press conference to sound the alarm on Albany Medical Center’s repeated violations of New York state’s safe staffing laws. Albany Med has been cited for at least 50 violations that could put patient care at risk. Hospital administrators are hiding a report issued by the Department of Health (DOH) on unsafe staffing at Albany Med, refusing to share the findings with nurses or the public. NYSNA nurses had to take legal action to obtain the report, but the hospital is still keeping the report secret. With the clock ticking on Albany Med’s 45-day deadline to share the report and create a plan to fix the staffing crisis with input from frontline nurses and caregivers, NYSNA nurses spoke out and demanded an end to the secrets.
**Photo and video available upon request and available at www.facebook.com/nynurses **
Because Albany Med has refused to share the DOH’s report, nurses only learned that the hospital had accumulated over 50 violations of the state’s safe staffing laws when the DOH sent them letters confirming their staffing complaints were substantiated. In a recent opinion editorial, Pam Hollon, who is a member of the hospital’s staffing committee, explained how these safe staffing violations put patients and nurses at risk. Nurses filed complaints that show the unsafe staffing levels at the hospital and continued even after the hospital was investigated. Albany Med was recently found to have some of the longest ER visits in the country. Understaffing is exacerbating the long wait times in the emergency department. Nurses have recently witnessed patients waiting in hallways and in the ambulance bay for care.
Emergency department nurse Matthew Looker, RN, said: “The situation in the emergency department continues to worsen, putting the well-being of our patients and our nursing license at risk. My coworkers are looking for jobs in other hospitals because we don’t have the staff or space at Albany Med to safely care for patients. It’s not the pay that makes people leave. It’s the number of staff. You cannot physically do the quality work you entered the profession to do with these working conditions. And the moral injury never ends.”
The crisis at Albany Med affects communities well beyond the Capital Region. As the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the region, the hospital receives patients from across upstate New York and into Vermont and Massachusetts. Very sick patients travel far distances and arrive at an emergency room that nurses and EMTs say often does not have sufficient beds or staff to care for them.
NYSNA nurses are urging Albany Med administrators to settle a fair contract with a comprehensive plan to recruit, retain, and respect nurses in order to solve the nurse staffing crisis at the hospital and ensure quality care for the community. NYSNA nurses want enforceable safe staffing ratios, fair pay, good benefits, and a strong union voice on the job.
Albany Med has continually tried to undermine union nurses’ voice by retaliating against nurses who speak out about these issues. They have made union membership a sticking point in negotiations. While Albany Med continues to hide the truth, union nurses have been bringing attention to the crisis and exposing the hospital’s disregard for the law and the Department of Health.
Jennifer Kiehle, RN, said: “ While AMC’s oncology unit experienced 3 COVID outbreaks in 2020 and 2021, with the sickest patients in shared rooms alongside the most vulnerable ones, CEO Dennis McKenna’s salary increased by a staggering $464,000. My coworkers were reusing N95 masks that were visibly soiled or had stretched out elastics, and Albany Med’s CEO repeatedly prioritized his pay instead of quality patient care. Until Albany Med’s leadership begins to address the huge attrition problem, the hospital will continue in this direction.”
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN said: “NYSNA nurses have used their union voice to bring attention to Albany Med’s crisis. While the hospital continues to hide the truth, violate the law, and put profits before patients, nurses have been bringing awareness to issues that affect the entire community. Nurses will not be silenced and will not stop until they get the contract they deserve.”
Nurses at Albany Medical Center have been in negotiations since April and have seen little movement from management on these key issues. Over the last year, NYSNA nurses at Albany Medical Center have held an informational picket and hosted community forums, delivered petitions to hospital leadership, and held speak-outs for safe staffing. Nurses recently launched an ad campaign across the capital region to draw attention to the staffing crisis at Albany Med. Visit albanymedqualitycare.org to find out more.
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The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide. For more information, visit nysna.org.