**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, JULY 23 AT 6 PM**
Contact: Eliza Bates | press@nysna.org | 646-285-8491
NYSNA NURSES TO HOST SPEAK-OUT AND COMMUNITY FORUM ON STAFFING CRISIS AT ALBANY MEDICAL CENTER
Hear directly from frontline nurses, community members, and elected leaders on patient care problems at Albany Med – and how to solve them
Nurses have been sounding the alarm on unsafe staffing at Albany Med and the NYS Dept. of Health opened an investigation, but hospital administrators still aren’t listening
Albany, N.Y.– On Tuesday, July 23 at 6 PM, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses will hold a speak-out and community forum at the union’s Albany office on the ongoing staffing crisis at Albany Medical Center. Frontline nurses will be joined by community members and elected leaders to shed light on patient care issues at the hospital.
Nurses at Albany Med have been sounding the alarm about unsafe staffing levels and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) opened an investigation into staffing at the hospital on June 4, which should have been a wake-up call for hospital administrators. But nurses report that staffing levels have not improved, and Albany Med has refused to share any findings from the investigation with nurses despite repeated requests.
In fact, NICU nurses filed 20 new complaints with the DOH in the 21 days since the investigation. On at least five occasions, management canceled nurses scheduled to work in the NICU, leaving the remaining nurses with a 3–to-1 nurse-to-patient ratio, in violation of state law. Continued understaffing is creating a negative ripple effect throughout the hospital.
Tuesday’s speak-out and community forum is a chance to hear directly from nurses about what’s happening on the hospital floors, and from community and elected leaders on solutions to improve patient care.
WHO: NYSNA nurses at Albany Medical Center, elected leaders, including Assembly Members Patricia Fahy and John McDonald, and community organizations, including Citizen Action and the New York State Council on Churches
WHAT: Speak-out and community forum on staffing crisis at Albany Medical Center
WHEN: Tuesday, July 23, 2024 from 6-7 p.m.
WHERE: NYSNA Albany Office, First Floor Conference Room
155 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12210
**Photos and video available on request**
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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.
