TOMORROW AT 12 NOON: NYSNA Nurses Call on Albany Legislators to Listen to Frontline Caregivers

**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 5 AT NOON**

Contact: Eliza Bates | press@nysna.org | 646-285-8491
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489

PRESS CONFERENCE: NYSNA NURSES CALL ON ALBANY LEGISLATORS TO LISTEN TO FRONTLINE CAREGIVERS

Hundreds of NYSNA members head to the state capitol to demand that Albany address the staffing crisis in hospitals and nursing homes and invest in quality care for all New York patients

Nurses to call for safe staffing enforcement, fair hospital funding, a plan to recruit and retain nurses, a moratorium on maternal health closures, and more

Albany, N.Y.– On Tuesday, March 5, hundreds of New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses and healthcare professionals will descend on the state capitol for their annual lobby day. This year, nurses are calling on legislators to invest in quality care for all New Yorkers, and are sounding the alarm on the continued staffing crisis that puts patient care at risk. After lobby visits with elected leaders, NYSNA members will hold a press conference with allies.

WHO: New York State Nurses Association nurses, allies, and elected leaders, including Senate Health Committee Chair Sen. Gustavo Rivera, Sen. Robert Jackson, Assembly Health Chair Amy Paulin, Sen. Jessica Ramos, and Assemblymembers Harry Bronson, Aileen Gunther, Karines Reyes, and Phara Souffrant Forrest.

WHAT: NYSNA lobby day press conference calling on Albany to listen to frontline nurses

WHEN: Tuesday, March 5, 2024, from noon - 1 p.m.

WHERE: Capitol building, 4th floor outside Senate Chambers

Press conference will be livestreamed at @NYNurses on Facebook and Instagram.

More nurses means better care, but New York’s broken healthcare system has created a staffing crisis in hospitals and nursing homes. Many healthcare facilities are failing to staff facilities with enough nurses and frontline caregivers to ensure safe, quality care for all.

While nurses continue to care for all New Yorkers regardless of ability to pay, Albany’s underfunding of Medicaid strains our state’s healthcare system. Instead of cutting Medicaid in the New York State budget, Albany needs to fully fund Medicaid.

NYSNA members are calling on legislators to listen to nurses and to prioritize:

• Holding hospitals accountable for safe staffing.
• Solving the nurse staffing crisis through education, loan forgiveness, recruitment, and retention programs.
• Fixing tier 6 of the New York State pension fund to help retain our public hospitals' most experienced nurses and ensure that they can retire with dignity.
• Protecting quality care by safeguarding New York’s nursing practice standards.
• Fairly funding underserved communities and prohibiting hospital closures of maternity and other essential healthcare services.

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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.