NYSNA Nurses, Union Healthcare Workers, Advocates and Elected Officials Come Together to Raise up Budget Priorities in the Face of Attacks on Healthcare

**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MARCH 11 AT 12 P.M.**

Contact:   Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489  

NYSNA NURSES, UNION HEALTHCARE WORKERS, ADVOCATES AND ELECTED OFFICIALS COME TOGETHER TO RAISE UP BUDGET PRIORITIES IN THE FACE OF ATTACKS ON HEALTHCARE

Hundreds of NYSNA members head to the state capital to demand that Albany pass a budget that invests in safe patient care. 

Nurses to call for safe staffing enforcement, fair hospital funding, expanded nurse recruitment and retention programs and quality healthcare for all. 

Albany, N.Y.– On Tuesday, March 11, 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 in the face of national attacks on healthcare. They 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 healthcare workers and allies. 

WHO: New York State Nurses Association nurses, allies, and elected leaders, including New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senator Gustavo Rivera, Senator Jessica Ramos, Senator Robert Jackson, Assembly Member Harry Bronson, Assembly Member Karines Reyes, Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forest, and 1199 SEIU 

WHAT: NYSNA Lobby Day press conference calling on Albany to invest in safe patient care 

WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 2024, noon-1pm 

WHERE: Capital building, outside Senate Chambers on 4th  floor 

NYSNA members are speaking out to demand that lawmakers pass a budget that protects the health of all New Yorkers. They are asking state legislators to prioritize: 

• Safe staffing in every hospital and nursing home.  
• Investment in nurse recruitment and retention programs.
• Defending quality patient care and professional standards of nursing practice.
• Workplace violence prevention.
• Fair funding to save our public and safety-net hospitals.  
• Defending Medicaid funding for the millions who rely on it.
• Expanding access to healthcare services, including maternal and mental healthcare.
• Advocating for long-term solutions like the NY Health Act.
• With federal attacks on healthcare funding and the rights of patients, now more than ever, New York must do more to protect and invest in fair hospital funding, especially for public and safety-net hospitals.

###

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.