Centerlight Nurses Push Back on Unlawful Loss of Healthcare Plan and Demand Reinstatement of their Health Coverage and a Fair Contract
For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
CENTERLIGHT NURSES PUSH BACK ON UNLAWFUL LOSS OF HEALTHCARE PLAN AND DEMAND REINSTATEMENT OF THEIR HEALTH COVERAGE AND A FAIR CONTRACT
NYSNA nurses launch new website and ad campaign calling out CenterLight’s greed and unlawful actions.
CenterLight unlawfully refused to continue nurses' healthcare coverage after nurses did not accept proposals that would have more than quadrupled their healthcare costs.
Bronx, N.Y. -- New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) home healthcare nurses launched a new website and ad campaign after CenterLight, a nonprofit that provides long-term home healthcare, unlawfully refused to continue nurses’ health coverage during contract negotiations. CenterLight nurses have been fighting for a fair contract and continue to care for some of the most vulnerable homebound New Yorkers without essential healthcare. Their contract expired in September 2024, and they were thrown off their healthcare in December 2024. CenterLight nurses are demanding immediate reinstatement of their health coverage and a fair contract.
CenterLight nurses go into the homes of some of the most vulnerable homebound New Yorkers and provide a broad range of care—from routine checkups to emergency care. They travel all across the city, Long Island and Westchester to provide care.
Nurses have been fighting for higher wages and improved benefits for months and have seen little movement from their employer. When NYSNA nurses didn’t accept management’s proposals that would have more than quadrupled healthcare costs, CenterLight refused to cooperate with their health plans’ rules and caused RNs to lose their health coverage. NYSNA filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge in response.
This is not the first time CenterLight has prioritized its profits over its workers and patients or used shady practices to make money. NYSNA’s new website shares the millions CenterLight has spent on marketing and executive salaries. Last year, CenterLight's CEO Tara Buonocore-Rut raked in over $1.5 million in total compensation and tax filings show that CenterLight spent another $1.5 million on advertising. Just last month, CenterLight spent thousands on ads to promote their CEO’s image as a “trailblazer” in healthcare. In 2016, CenterLight paid $47 million to New York in 2016 to settle Medicaid fraud charges related to billing practices.
CenterLight nurses continue to go into the homes of their patients to provide essential care, without a contract, and now without health insurance. Traveling in all weather conditions and performing physically demanding tasks, nurses rely on their health insurance to keep them safe and healthy. CenterLight nurses are mostly women of color and many of them have chronic illnesses, like asthma and diabetes.
Reena Pradhan Singh, RN, said, “I’ve now had to put off essential appointments and have been unable to fill prescriptions that total thousands of dollars because I can’t afford it. I’m constantly worried that I’m going to get sick and get my patients sick while I continue to go into their homes. We are caring for patients who can’t receive care elsewhere, and this is completely unacceptable.”
City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farias, said, "Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and CenterLight’s treatment of its dedicated staff is unacceptable. These nurses provide essential home care to our most vulnerable residents yet are working without health insurance for rejecting an unfair contract. CenterLight must immediately reinstate healthcare benefits and negotiate a fair contract that respects these workers' contributions. No nurse should have to choose between caring for their patients and their own health. I stand in full support of the NYSNA nurses in their fight for dignity, fairness, and the benefits they deserve."
“Expecting our healthcare workers to operate in high-contact environments with sick patients without their own healthcare is incredibly irresponsible and dangerous. In the midst of a public health crisis and as frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, our nurses should be protected in their workplace," said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Chair of City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor. "CenterLight must provide continued coverage during contract negotiations and operate in good faith."
Council Member Lynn Schulman, Chair of City Council Health Committee, said, “As the Chair of the Health Committee, I stand in solidarity with CenterLight nurses who are fighting for fair compensation and access to the health coverage they deserve. These nurses provide essential care to some of our most vulnerable neighbors, and it is unconscionable that CenterLight has refused to maintain their health insurance while raking in millions. The hardworking nurses of CenterLight deserve a fair contract and immediate reinstatement of their health benefits.”
“Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and they deserve fair wages, strong benefits, and respect for the critical work they do,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. “It is unacceptable that CenterLight Healthcare has left its nurses without health insurance while they continue to care for some of our most vulnerable residents. No worker should have to choose between their own health and their job. I stand in full support of NYSNA nurses in their fight for a fair contract and the immediate reinstatement of their healthcare benefits.”
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “No nurse should have to delay essential medical care while caring for others. Our patients deserve healthy nurses, and our nurses deserve health coverage they can rely on. I’ve dealt with bullies before, and CenterLight is no exception. CenterLight nurses should know they have the support of all 42,000 NYSNA nurses as they fight for what is right.”
Nurses have flyered near several CenterLight locations across the city and have recently spoken publicly to bring attention to these issues. CenterLight nurses also launched a petition which has gotten over 500 signatures from community allies. Visit the new website to learn more.
###
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.