nurse New York
New york state edition | april 2022
This is Our Earth to Protect, Not Destroy, pp. 7-8 NYSNA Celebrates Earth Day; Urges Accountability for the Financial Industry, p. 7
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New York Nurse april 2022
Employers Can Recognize the Value of Nurses Through Recruitment/ Retention Efforts
By Nancy Hagans, RN NYSNA President
Advocating for patients. Advancing the profession.SM Board of Directors President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN nancy.hagans@nysna.org First Vice President Judith Cutchin, RN, MSN judith.cutchin@nysna.org Second Vice President Marion Enright, RN marion.enright@nysna.org Secretary Nella Pineda-Marcon, RN, BC nella.pineda-marcon@nysna.org Treasurer Jayne L. Cammisa, RN, BSN jayne.cammisa@nysna.org Directors at Large Matt Allen, RN, BSN matt.allen@nysna.org Reginalt Atangan, RN reginalt.atangan@nysna.org Marie Boyle, RN, BSN marie.boyle@nysna.org Seth B. Dressekie, RN, MSN, PMHNP, BC seth.dressekie@nysna.org Flandersia Jones, RN, BSN, MPH flandersia.jones@nysna.org Michelle Jones, RN, MSN, ANP-C michelle.jones@nysna.org Sonia M. Lawrence, RN, BSN sonia.lawrence@nysna.org Benny K. Mathew, RN, MS, CCRN, CEN, SCRN benny.mathew@nysna.org Ari Moma, RN, MSA ari.moma@nysna.org Jean Erica Padgett, RN jean.padgett@nysna.org Regional Directors Southeastern
Bruce Lavalle, RN bruce.lavalle@nysna.org
Southern Aretha Morgan, RN aretha.morgan@nysna.org Central
Catherine Dawson,RN,CNOR,MSN catherine.dawson@nysna.org
Lower Hudson/NJ Cynthia Caruso, RN cynthia.caruso@nysna.org Western
Steven Bailey, RN steven.bailey@nysna.org
Eastern
Bill Schneider, RN, CCRN bill.schneider@nysna.org
Editor Jennifer R. Farmer Executive Editor Pat Kane, RN, CNOR Executive Director Editorial offices located at: 131 W 33rd St., New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-785-0157 Email: communications@nysna.org Website: www.nysna.org Subscription rate: $33 per year ISSN (Print) 1934-7588/ISSN (Online) 1934-7596 ©2022, All rights reserved
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or over a year, healthcare professionals have warned of the consequences of our nation’s broken healthcare system. Most recently, NYSNA members Steven Bailey, RN; and Aja Sciortino, RN penned opinion essays for Buffalo News and the Lower Hudson Journal respectively on the issue. The situation is so dire that nurses and healthcare workers are forced to choose between poor working conditions and their own health and safety, not to mention a lack of recognition for their valient efforts. These members and others have shared personal accounts and documented the experience of our colleagues. Now the legislature must act. They should prioritize both recruitment and retention to build a stable, experienced healthcare workforce.
A Moral Document It’s been said that budgets reflect the values of an organization or entity. Bishop William J. Barber II of Repairers of the Breach has gone as far as to say that “budgets are a moral document.” If that is
the case, New York state’s budget process is a sacred opportunity to right wrongs where nurses are concerned. NYSNA understands this important moment before us, and we are leaning in to ensure healthcare professionals have what they need now and in the future. Through the budget process, we are urging the administration
should be. The proposal is capped at an “annualized base salary” of $125,000.
Excluded That cap will ultimately exclude some registered nurses who have borne the brunt of the pandemic. That is particularly true in highcost regions wages (New York City,
The exclusion of large numbers of nurses will negatively affect morale, which is already low. to take concrete steps to protect nurses and patients alike. One way they can do that is by addressing issues that adversely impact recruitment and retention. And certainly one of the most important things the administration can do to improve working conditions for nurses (and strengthen the nursing profession in the process) is to ensure the proposed retention bonus currently in executive budget proposal applies to all nurses. It presently has a series of carveouts that will make it ineffective and counterproductive.
All Nurses Deserve Bonuses For instance, the Executive Budget proposes to pay a $3,000 retention bonus to healthcare workers who stay in their positions for one year. But not all nurses are eligible, and they most certainly
Westchester, Long Island) which necessitate higher. It is also true for senior nurses and for nurses working night shifts and weekend positions, which sometimes offer shift differentials. The exclusion of large numbers of nurses will negatively affect morale, which is already low. Additionally, excluding nurses coming out of one of the worst pandemics in a generation is insulting and inappropriate. If the retention bonus goes into effect as presently written (as of April 1, 2022), it will represent another failure in a string of mistakes on powerbrokers’ part. The state can and should do more to honor the frontline caregivers’ work and sacrifice. Offering a $3,000 bonus may not dissuade a nurse from retiring (or taking a less-stressful job), but rest assured that denying the bonus to tens of thousands of nurses who have worked through the hellish conditions of the pandemic will be embittering. It may cause even more nurses to leave the bedside. That is a risk we need not take. NYSNA will be encouraging the administration to reverse course. That is reasonable and fair. It’s time to do the work to bring in long-term solutions for a quality healthcare workforce in New York.
NEW YORK NURSE
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april 2022
NYSNA Works to Ensure Healthcare Workers Have What They Need to Provide Quality Care
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recently testified during a virtual hearing regarding the FY23 Executive Budget. The Governor’s current budget invests significantly in expanding healthcare coverage and capacity, among other things. Since the budget impacts us all, it is important to know where we are and what we are asking of this administration. While I will cover as much as possible in this column, you can see a full list of NYSNA priorities here: bit.ly/budget-priorities. For the first time in years, NYSNA is not fighting against cuts to the healthcare budget. The Governor’s budget proposals related to healthcare has a goal of increasing the healthcare workforce by 20% over the next five years. This will help the state meet the growing needs of an aging population, expand coverage and access to services, improve the quality of care, and address long-standing racial and socio-economic inequities in access to care and quality of care. NYSNA welcomes the Governor’s ambitious budget goals. We agree that stabilizing and growing the direct care workforce will be essential in overcoming the current pandemic crisis. The other things that can help is bolstering and restructuring hospitals, nursing homes, and healthcare systems, and meeting the healthcare needs of New Yorkers now and in the future. Unfortunately, many of the concrete policy proposals and funding commitments in the budget are not adequate to fully meet the state’s aspirational goals. We are asking Hochul’s administration to:
1. Expand the RN Workforce via Recruitment, Retention, and Improved Working Conditions To meet the Executive Budget’s goals of increasing the healthcare workforce by 20%, improving the quality of care, and addressing racial and social inequities in the health system, the state must substantially increase the existing RN workforce. Nurses are the backbone of the hospital and nursing home sectors, but we are also increasingly
in short supply. The nursing shortage is bad and getting worse. The COVID pandemic has stretched the nursing workforce to the breaking point and nurses are leaving or considering leaving the bedside at an accelerating pace. The state can improve recruitment, retention and working conditions if it: l Fixes the retention bonus proposal to include all nurses (Art. VII, Health and Mental Hygiene, Part D) l Offers tuition and loan forgiveness for nurses l Expands nursing school capacity l Establishes residency and preceptorship programs to support new nurses l Implements and enforce minimum infectious disease protocols and standards in healthcare workplaces l Classifies COVID as an occupational disease for Workers Compensation claims filed by front line essential workers l Improves the Tier 6 pension to recruit and retain nurses in the public sector 2. Improve Nursing Practice and Quality of Patient Care NYSNA believes that high standards of nursing practice are inextricably interconnected with the quality of patient care in hospitals and nursing homes and are directly correlated to job satisfaction and retention. Frustration with impediments to meeting professional standards of care for patients contributes to staff turnover and the exodus of nurses from the bedside. Accordingly, it is important to maintain nursing scope and practice regulations and resist industry efforts to reduce costs through deskilling and dilution of patient care standards. Towards this end, NYSNA: l Supports the expansion of Independent Practice Rights for Nurse Practitioners (HMH, Art. VII, Part C) l Opposes authorizing nursing aides to administer medications (HMH, Article VII, Part C) l Opposes joining the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact (HMH, Article VII, Part B)
l Opposes
the transfer of oversight of nursing from Higher Education to DOH (HMH, Art. VII, Part G)
3. Ensure Safe Staffing Ensuring safe staffing in our hospitals, nursing homes and broader healthcare system is a necessary component of addressing inequalities in care, poor patient outcomes and the stability of the healthcare workforce. To improve staffing, the administration must: l Create a hospital nurse recruitment and retention fund l Increase doh funding to oversee and implement the new hospital staffing law l Amend the new hospital staffing law (phl 2805-t) to include additional minimum staffing ratios 4. Expand Healthcare Coverage and Equity The distorted structure of hospital funding in New York traps safety net hospitals in a perpetual state of financial distress. It makes it difficult if not impossible for them to provide the level of staffing and services that communities need and require. Inadequate safety net funding is also a major contributor to existing racial and class disparities in care and health services. We also note that the level of funding proposed for the Distressed Provider Hospital Fund is not sufficient to break the vicious cycle caused by low reimbursement rates for Medicaid and uninsured patients who rely on safety net hospitals for their care. In conclusion, we know there is a lot of work to be done. We want to partner with the administration to ensure that healthcare workers have what they need to provide quality care over the long haul. The NY Health Act is the ultimate fix. We are committed to continuing to be a strong voice for patients, healthcare workers and the broader community.
By Pat Kane, RN NYSNA Executive Director
NYSNA Nurses at Westchester Medical Center and elected officials speak out on February 2, 2022 against facility conditions and the threat to the public’s health; nurses call for a fair contract.
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New York Nurse april 2022
Meet Anna Bakalis, NYSNA’s New Communications Director
C Anna brings a wealth of experience, energy and strategic thinking to the senior leadership team and to the communications department.
ommunications is an organizing tool that can help workers build power. It will move leaders to action in a way that few tools can. That is why NYSNA continues to invest in our communications department. We are pleased to announce a new member to the team, Anna Bakalis, who will serve as our communications director.
Talented Leader As Anna joins our team, we want to share her background. She is a seasoned union communicator with more than 10 years serving in seniorlevel communications roles. Most recently, she worked for the nation’s second-largest teacher union, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA). She was an instrumental leader at UTLA, helping transform the union into a fighting union, one that stood up for members’ demands for smaller class sizes, more funding and safer working conditions as well as garnering public support
around key issues and campaigns. Anna was central to UTLA members’ successful and inspirational strike in 2019, creating the battle cries echoed across the city and around the nation: Eighty percent of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools do not have a full-time nurse; California ranks 46 out of 50 in per-pupil funding; and teachers pay $1,000 out of pocket each year for classroom supplies while the employer sits on $2 billion in reserves. UTLA’s messaging resonated with the community, and over the six-day strike, more than 30,000 people joined the 35,000 members on the picket lines. UTLA won the strike and shifted the city’s power dynamics, which continues to this day.
Winning Campaign Other unions have studied the media strategies Anna designed and implemented leading up to and during the 2019 strike, and they use them as a model for effective
Policymakers Must Fix Tier 6 By Nancy Hagans, RN
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n 2012 the Cuomo administration pushed through a new Tier 6 pension plan for public sector workers that included a higher retirement age, lower pensions benefits, and higher mandatory employee contributions than was required of nurses and other public sector workers who were hired before 2012. The new Tier 6 pension system has had a negative impact on recruitment and retention of nurses in public sector hospitals and public health systems. Wages for nurses in the public sector are significantly lower than comparable jobs in the private sector. The adoption of Tier 6, coupled with lower wages, has made retention of nurses in the public sector more difficult. Public sector healthcare professionals are leaving the industry at an alarming clip. This is problematic because public sector healthcare professionals are the backbone of New York’s healthcare system. We care for all people. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were the safety net for New York — testing,
tracing and treating a disproportionate number of COVID-19 patients. In the same way that we care for patients, we need policymakers and employers to care for us.
Make it More Attractive Having good benefits is essential to recruiting and retaining skilled nurses and frontline healthcare workers desperately needed to provide quality care. It is also a key factor in having dignity on the job. We know that the public sector cannot compete with the private sector for pay. But the public sector can and should do more in the way of benefits. Without strong pension and other benefits, public sector healthcare workers will continue to leave public service in droves. That is why NYSNA is urging members to reach out to your respective state legislators and demand a fix for Tier 6. You can do so here: https://bit.ly/fix-tier-6. The Tier 6 pension plan should be restructured to create a more attractive pension structure for registered nurses and other hard to recruit health care workers as follows:
strategic communications. Her multiyear “We Are Public Schools” public awareness campaign included billboards, radio, video and online ads showcasing the heroic work of Los Angeles educators, students and community members. The campaign helped UTLA’s broader goals to fund public schools, which privatization schemes have gutted. Her use of story-based strategies to create compelling messaging that resonates with the public is rooted in her previous 10 years’ experience as a newspaper journalist. Anna is a graduate of San Jose State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in journalism. She is currently earning a Master of Art in strategic communication from American University. I hope you’ll drop her a line (anna. bakalis@nysna.org) and welcome her to NYSNA. Anna brings a wealth of experience, energy and strategic thinking to the senior leadership team and to the communications department. Please join me in welcoming Anna Bakalis to the NYSNA family! ower the regular retirement age L to 60 from 63; l Reduce employee pension contribution rates for the first 10 years and eliminate contributions after 10 years of employment; l Create a new special 55/25 retirement plan applicable to Tier 6 nurses and other hard to recruit health care workers. In these trying times, it is imperative that hospitals, nursing homes and health systems do all they can to hire and retain nurses and experienced staff. It’s also a time when New York can afford to fix the Tier 6 pension system and improve benefits. When the Tier 6 pension system was enacted in 2012, it lowered benefits for healthcare professionals and required 3% to 6% contributions from employees throughout their career. It made a career in public service less desirable. Lawmakers have an opportunity now to reform Tier 6, which will improve public sector staffing and the quality of care we are able to deliver. The healthcare professionals and other essential workers who have served on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic deserve no less. l
nursing practice
NEW YORK NURSE april 2022
Purchasing Malpractice Insurance Can Protect Your Future
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hen most nurses think of the hospital’s malpractice insurance, they assume the hospitals insurance will protect them fully. However, it is important for nurses to understand that since they can be named in lawsuits as well, they are better protected if they have their own liability insurance policy. Nurses can face claims for a host of reasons including an omission leading to the death, injury or loss of the patient, failing to properly assess patients, failing to convey important patient information, not staying within the scope of practice, medication errors, not following orders as prescribed, etc. These individual claims aimed at the nurse would potentially raise the individual liability of the nurse thus requiring more accessible insurance monies for the individual RN. “One might think that a hospital or health system would offer full protection should a nurse be accused of wrongdoing,” said Judith Cutchin, RN. “While understandable, this assumption is not entirely accurate. If a healthcare worker is named in a lawsuit, the hospital’s malpractice insurance may not necessarily fully cover them.” First and foremost, the employer’s malpractice insurance acts in the interest of the employer. There are occasions when the employer and the employee’s interests are aligned and there are times when their interests diverge, for example, when the individual nurse has been found to have committed an intentional tort, such as, a battery When nurses have their own insurance, they enjoy a greater level of protection. Moreover, everyone in a high-risk position deserves the peace of mind that insurance can provide. Malpractice insurance protects individual healthcare providers as well as institutions from claims brought by patients, or a patient’s representative. Some malpractice providers offer attorney services for cases filed against a nurse at The State Board of Nursing, however, this benefit is never provided through a hospital’s malpractice insurance, but rather only through an individual RN’s insurance.
Healthcare professionals work hard to obtain a license; and should therefore do everything possible to protect it. Moreover, at the start of the pandemic, many hospitals and health system employers relaxed some policies and rules. They did this to ensure they could address the surge in patients brought on by the pandemic. While rules may have been relaxed, that doesn’t necessarily protect a healthcare professional in the event of a negligent action.
The Fine Print Even if a hospital or health system assures nurses that they are covered under the employer’s policy, it is important to understand the fine print of various types of malpractice insurance policies. Additionally, one should understand if the type of insurance coverage provided by the employer would cover them while currently employed, and/or when they leave their employment.
Why This Matters When a person is named in a lawsuit, they may be liable for a percentage of the claim. All adjudicated wrongdoers can be held accountable for the whole amount of the judgement. When a jury comes down with the total judgement amount, the plaintiff may be able to collect 100% from any one of the defendants. Nurses have been told to rely on hospitals insurance because the hospital will totally cover them. But blind trust is rarely advisable.
What Kind of Coverage is Available? There are three types of malpractice insurance -occurrence, claims-made, and tail insurance. Claims-made policies cover any claim made during the policy period in which a policy was purchased. It is not unusual for there to be a delay between when an event occurred and when the claim is made. If a policy is active, it will provide protection accordingly. Occurrence polices provide coverage for life, but only if the coverage was active and payments were made on the day the malpractice was committed regardless of when the malpractice action was filed.
Tail coverage provides an extended reporting period. It covers healthcare professionals for the time frame when one is no longer working as a nurse. Since the statute of limitations for lawsuits can be up to 10 years after the malpractice has been committed, this type of insurance can be helpful. It is an addition to a claims-made policy and extends coverage for incidents that happened during the policy period – but a claim was not made until after the policy expired or was cancelled. It bears noting that there is a theory of liability called vicarious liability; that if the nurse is sued, the hospital will also be sued because the nurse is acting in the interest of the hospital. This legal theory of liability suggests that the hospital guarantees payment for the wrongful actions of the nurse. But if the nurse has been found guilty of an intentional tort (battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, falsification of business records, etc.) the insurance will not cover the claim. Insurance companies generally only cover unintentional torts, such as negligence, wrongful death, abandonment, lack of informed consent, etc.
Worth Noting If you are relying on the hospitals insurance policy, a hospital goes bankrupt and a lawsuit is filed after they close, the amount and availability of coverage is questionable. Each defendant may be held personally liable. This is yet another reason individual malpractice insurance is recommended for healthcare professionals.
Is it Mandated? Since malpractice insurance is so important, shouldn’t states mandate it for nurses? Malpractice insurance is not mandated for nurses under state law. While many nurses believe insurance is important, many also believe their employer will cover them in the event of a lawsuit. But this is a risk one need not take.
How much will I have to pay for individual insurance? A nurse could expect to pay from $200 up to $1000 per year for insurance. For more information contact education@nysna.org.
The Hospital says I don’t need to get my own Liability (Malpractice) insurance, is that true?
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New York Nurse april 2022
What the RaDonda Vaught, RN, Verdict Reveals About Our Healthcare System
N The Vaught case reminds us that systemic issues of understaffing and cutting corners on safety also predate the pandemic.
urses everywhere have been following the trial and verdict of RaDonda Vaught, RN, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse convicted on March 25 of gross neglect and criminally negligent homicide for a fatal drug error. The reaction, especially on social media, has run the gamut between disbelief that a nurse could have made such a grave mistake, to outrage that Tennessee pursued criminal charges in addition to the usual administrative process where the state nurse licensing board stripped Vaught of her nursing license. But the implications of this case go beyond the chilling effect that criminalizing medical mistakes may have on nurses and other healthcare professionals when it comes to self-reporting medical errors. The case shows how individuals are scapegoated at the expense of fixing systemic issues caused by the healthcare industry cutting corners on staffing, training, equipment, and the health and safety of workers and patients.
who notices too many problems or submits too many Protests of Assignments or Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaints.
Heavy Burden In the RaDonda Vaught case, her hospital reported that the patient died of natural causes instead of notifying federal regulators of the medication error as required by law. Although state investigators admitted that Vanderbilt had a “heavy burden of responsibility” for the deadly error, prosecutors pursued penalties and criminal charges only against the nurse, not the hospital. Vanderbilt only took corrective action and made safety improvements after a full investigation by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. What does justice look like for the patient, the patient’s family, and the nurse when hospitals are not held accountable? Many failures likely led to the patient’s death in this case, but only the nurse — the patient’s last line of defense — was punished for her error. What does justice look like when healthcare
What About Me How many nurses saw this case and thought about their past errors or near misses? How many nurses reflected on a time when the system forced them to override faulty equipment, overlook a safety issue, take on an unsafe patient load, float to an unfamiliar area without much training, or not strictly follow a procedure because that is what hospital administrators routinely expect of them? Nurses are under tremendous pressure every day to cut corners and “do more with less.” Although many hospitals say they promote a culture of safety, the reality is very different. Hospital policy may say that if a member of the healthcare team raises a safety concern, everything stops until the problem is addressed. In practice, nurses are too often rewarded for creative workarounds and diminished for being the squeaky wheel
Radonda Vaught
systems are not proactively working to prevent future harm?
Systemic Issues Must be Addressed Healthcare systems, with the help of policymakers, relaxed many health and safety protocols and protections during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vaught case reminds us that systemic issues of understaffing and cutting corners on safety also predate the pandemic. As we enter the next phase of the pandemic fight, we do not want “a return to normal;” we need to transform our healthcare system into one that prioritizes patient safety. This case should be a wake-up call. Nurses have been speaking out on behalf of creating the safe, quality healthcare system we all deserve. We know patient safety issues are systemic and not just the result of one-off individual errors. We know that healthcare systems — and regulators and policymakers — have the power to address these issues and improve safety and quality patient care. It is time they listen to the nurses and act. It is time they put patients over profits!
Climate Justice
NEW YORK NURSE april 2022
NYSNA Celebrates Earth Day; Issues Demand to Big Banks
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any people across the world will celebrate Earth Day 2022. While it is customary to see climate activists joining rallies and protests in support of action ensuring a cleaner environment, healthcare workers are important stakeholders in the fight for climate justice as well. We enter the profession because we care about and want to serve others. We are interested in all aspects of life that influence a person’s health and wellbeing, and the climate is no exception. As we analyze impediments to quality health, we carefully consider the impacts of the climate crisis. “We can do everything in our power to provide quality healthcare, but if there isn’t immediate action to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and reduce pollution, our efforts will be futile,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN. “To be clear, the onus is not just on healthcare workers. The fossil fuel industry, for example, has a moral obligation to act because they bear a disproportionate share of responsibility for the climate crisis. This isn't about distant effects, but clear, measurable, often disparate impacts from climate change and the burning of fossil fuels and extraction. Financial institutions, especially the largest US banks — many of them headquartered here in New York - share in the blame as well. Banks like Citi, Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, have poured trillions of dollars into fossil fuels. In sum, the people most responsible for the climate crisis must play a larger role in resolving it.”
Nurses See and Understand Nurses especially appreciate that the climate crisis has a direct impact on life expectancy, especially for communities of color and poor people who are uniquely burdened by environmental racism and the climate emergency. For instance, people of color tend to live in heavier traffic areas, making them more susceptible to vehicle-related air pollution. Persons of color and persons living in poverty are also uniquely impacted by environmental racism. Princeton University found that environmental
racism refers to the unequal access to a clean environment and basic environmental resources based on race. Communities of color are disproportionately victimized by environmental hazards and are far more likely to live in areas with heavy pollution. People of color are more likely to die of environmental causes, and more than half of the people who live close to hazardous waste are people of color. “Increases in heat have contributed to an increase in hypertension,” said NYSNA member Nella PinedaMarcon, BSN, RN-BC. “Pollutants are being discharged into our city air, causing a steady increase in chronic asthma conditions in our most vulnerable communities. In addition, these communities also face environmental injustices like contaminated water supplies and tainted soil. They are also the ones that are usually hit the hardest by catastrophic events such as Superstorm Sandy. This is not OK.”
Unique Burden As healthcare professionals, we understand the grave impact of the climate crisis. According to the IPCC Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability Report, we know that the climate crisis is escalating to a degree where the damage caused by pollution may be irreversible. The International Energy Agency was even clearer: net zero by 2050, which is needed in order to prevent the worst climate damages, requires no new investments in oil and gas. But Citi and Chase continue to use customer deposits — our money — to fund companies like Exxon so that they can expand their fossil fuel operations. To be clear, transitioning to renewable energy isn’t just about stopping future disasters. It’s about protecting the world as we know it today. In the absence of action, natural disasters will occur with increasing frequency, and they will be deadlier. Supercharged storms — think about Hurricanes Katrina Ida, and Sandy, as well as the tornadoes that have ripped through the country in recent years — and you will understand the point that I am making. We
are running out of time. Indeed fossil fuel extraction, transport, and combustion lead to increased rates of asthma and other health impacts that frontline communities know all too well. The fossil fuel industry will not govern itself or reverse course. It is up to its biggest enablers — the banks and insurers who finance and underwrite fossil fuel companies — to act.
We Should All Be Concerned While all people should concern themselves with the climate crisis, nurses and healthcare professionals are keenly motivated to work toward a transition to renewable energy. Nurses are at the bedside caring for people whose health has been compromised by the climate emergency. We see patients presenting with a host of conditions associated with breathing dirty air, from respiratory challenges to birth defects, and with injuries caused by climate emergencies such as extreme heat and floods. We live and work in high-traffic areas, which compromises the air we breathe. We are also present in the aftermath of climate emergencies such as catastrophic flooding, wildfires and droughts. In addition to tending to our own families and loved ones, we pull ourselves together so we can be of service to our communities. As we embark upon another Earth Day approaches, we do so fully committed to creating a world where all people can live free from environmental harms and the consequences of climate change. We also enter this season understanding that despite our best wishes, we can only go so far. We need active participation and commitment from all. Nurses — and climate science — demand that banks and insurance companies end all financial services for any company that is engaged in expanding its fossil fuel operations. As customers, we can tell our bank to stop funding fossil fuels by signing-on at: stopthemoney pipeline.com/customers.
People of color tend to live in heavier traffic areas, making them more susceptible to vehicle-related air pollution
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Climate Justice
New York Nurse april 2022
NYSNA Member Nella Pineda-Marcon Testifies in Support of NYC’s Green Healthy Schools Campaign On March 22, NYSNA member Nella Pineda-Marcon, BSN, RN-BC submitted written testimony in support of New York City’s Green Healthy Schools campaign. NYSNA is a member of the Climate Works for All Coalition, which helped coordinate the submission of testimony for a preliminary budget hearing on governmental operations. The testimony is below.
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y name is Nella Pineda-Marcon and I work as a nurse at Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai
(R) Nella Pineda-Marcon in Glasgow for the COP 26 Conference
West. I am also a proud union member of the New York State Nurses Association. I serve as a Director at Large (Secretary) and am Chair of our Climate & Environmental Justice Committee. NYSNA represents 42,000 nurses across New York State, including 25,000 RNs in New York City. This includes nurses in all the city’s public hospitals. As nurses on the frontlines of patient care, we have seen up close the horrors of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 67,000 people in New York City have died and countless others have been left wounded, physically and emotionally. We have seen the deep impact that the pandemic has had on low-income communities of color. The disparities are all-encompassing, affecting marginalized communities physically, mentally, and economically. We know that this is just a preview of what lies ahead if we do not take climate change seriously. It is critical that we heed the warning.
Climate Impacts Patient Health
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In fact, we have already seen the destruction that climate change and environmental degradation has had on the health of our patients. Increases in heat have contributed to an increase in hypertension. Pollutants are being discharged into our city air, causing a steady increase in chronic asthma conditions in our most vulnerable communities. In addition, these communities also face environmental injustices like contaminated water supplies and tainted soil. They are also the ones that are usually hit the hardest by catastrophic events such as Superstorm Sandy. This is not OK. We are proud members of the Climate Works for All coalition,
a coalition of unions, climate and environmental justice organizations, and advocacy groups. We fully endorse the Green Healthy Schools campaign. Investing $14.5 billion by 2030 (an annual investment of $1.8 billion over the next 8 years) to install solar panels and do deep retrofits will go far in combatting pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In doing this we would want to prioritize those schools located in environmental justice communities. This undertaking would create many good, green, career jobs. We would want the hiring process to put emphasis on those that are traditionally marginalized, such as women, immigrants and people of color.
Significant Need As nurses we are always making the link between climate and environmental justice and public health. The installation of HVACs in schools is incredibly important. These do not only create cleaner air but increase ventilation that can mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 and other airborne diseases. This has become an even more significant need as we see the lifting of critical protections taking place, such as masking. Ultimately the Green Healthy Schools roadmap will be a huge driver for NYC to achieve its climate goals. NYC Public schools are known to be some of the largest polluters and account for 25% of all city-owned buildings. Solar panel installations will cut carbon emission by at least 50%. We must treat this climate crisis like the emergency it is. We must do better for our children, our patients, and our communities. This plan is a solid step forward for the sustainability of New York City and the health of its residents. We also have an opportunity to act as a catalyst for our state, the country, and the world. Thank you for your time and consideration today.
NEW YORK NURSE april 2022
April is Minority Health Month
Here’s What that Means For Nurses By Peppur Chambers
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pril is National Minority Health Month (NMHM). Each year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH) observes National Minority Health Month as an effort to highlight the importance of improving health outcomes for communities of color. This stems from a 2002 congressional resolution that encouraged “all health organizations and Americans to conduct appropriate programs and activities to promote healthfulness in minority and other health disparity communities.” This year’s theme for NMHM is Give Your Community a Boost and focuses on the continued importance of COVID-19 vaccination and boosters. While COVID-19 and boosters is important, we cannot lose sight of the fact that COVID-19 exposed longstanding consequences of racism in healthcare. We should also use this a moment to appreciate the other issues that compromise the health of communities of color.
Awareness and Action is Key Minority Health Month is connected to Booker T. Washington’s establishment of the National Negro Health Week in 1915. Booker T. Washington was an author, orator, and advisor to several U.S. presidents. He rightly surmised that “without health and long life, all else fails.” Healthcare professionals understand this well. By building awareness around the disproportionate burden of premature death and illness in communities of color and encouraging action through health education, early detection, and control of disease complications, OMH hopes to make significant strides in health equity with this annual push.
Shooting Straight Like so many other illnesses, COVID-19 disproportionately affects communities of color. Communities of color have been more likely to be exposed to the virus, less likely to be
vaccinated, and less likely to receive prompt care. For instance, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that “Cumulative data over time show persisting disparities in cases for Hispanic people and deaths for Black people. As of February 15, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a total of over 61.4 million cases, for which race/ ethnicity was known for 65% or over 40.3 million, and a total of over 780,000 deaths, for which race/ethnicity was known for 85% or over 660,000. These estimates are based on a subset of data for which case-level demographic information has been reported to CDC by state health departments so they differ from those reported elsewhere. For example, CDC reports a total of over 920,000 deaths from COVID as of February 15, 2022.”
Single Payer Can Help The extent that we are able to see and appreciate the experiences of communities of color, ensure Singer Payer health insurance, and remove other barriers to care, is the extent to which the health outcomes of communities of color can improve. That is why NYSNA endorsed universal, single payer Medicare for All; we believe it is the best path to ensuring access to high-quality care for all. Further, on more than one occasion, NYSNA members have advocated against the closure of hospitals in rural and urban com-
munities. Healthcare professionals understand that its impossible to address health disparities if communities of color, persons living in poverty, and persons living in rural communities do not have access to healthcare. It’s also why NYSNA members supported the NYC Green Healthy Schools campaign.
How Can We Help? NYSNA members bring important perspective. Many of our members are people of color, who are themselves, impacted by racism in the health sector and health disparities. NYSNA members also work and live in underserved communities. This experience provides unique insight. It also enables us to be powerful advocates. Here are six ways we believe we can promote health equity: l Provide patient supports (e.g., reminders, self-care management programs). l Increase engagement with trusted community- and faith-based organizations and institutions that have relationships with local communities. l Provide telehealth options. l Provide all COVID-19-related services in a culturally appropriate way, according to the needs of patients. l Ensure providers show awareness of and respect for culture when providing COVID-19 testing and care. l Train employees at all levels of the organization to identify and interrupt all forms of discrimination; offer implicit bias training.
COVID-19 exposed longstanding consequences of racism in healthcare.
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New York Nurse april 2022
Self-Care vs. Communal Care
Employers Must Do More to Support Workers’ Overall Health By Jennifer R. Farmer
A In other words, employers shouldn’t get credit for selfcare initiatives if their programs offer little more than pizza, public applause and certificates for being team players.
t the start of the COVID19 pandemic, there was significant dialogue around the importance of self-care. Self-care is the intentional practice of tending to one’s emotional, spiritual, financial and physical needs. Community systems that create space and resources aid and abet self-care. For instance, a single mother might be better able to practice self-care if she is gainfully employed, has a supportive community that aides her and her children, and has access to preventative healthcare. A nurse might be better positioned to practice selfcare if they work in a facility that is properly staffed, well-ventilated and adequately resources. In other words, self-care doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
We Need Help As employees shifted from inperson to remote work, many vowed to do everything in their power to take better care of themselves. Workers classified as essential found themselves heading into the office but pondering how to care for themselves amid a deadly pandemic. For their part, many employers offered their team members public applause — such is the case for nurses — while giving voice to the need for self-care. Encouraging others to intentionally care for themselves is noble enough in theory, but self-care without external support is not always possible nor sustainable. Without communal or community care, self-care becomes more of an aspiration than a consistent practice. In another example, community care might look like employers being mindful of the pollution they emit in the surrounding environment. In the context of COVID-19, it might look like ensuring workers have time to recover when they have been exposed to, or contracted, COVID-19. It might also look like employers offering ample leave time so healthcare professionals
aren’t choosing between their jobs and their wellness. To make admonishments of self-care practical to implement, employers could improve overall working conditions, pay workers a living and competitive wage, offer incentives, provide quality health insurance and address short staffing. In other words, employers shouldn’t get credit for self-care initiatives if their programs offer little more than pizza, public applause and certificates for being team players.
No More Gaslighting Healthcare professionals are tired of being gaslit at work. Now is the time for employers to hold up their end of the bargain and create the conditions that allow nurses and others to care for themselves and the patients they so greatly cherish. Often, we see employers paying lip service to selfcare instead of investing in short- and long-term solutions that will truly keep the workplace safe. Additionally, many in society, including members of the media, are too quick to latch on to a feelgood story without examining whether systemic barriers to health and wellness have been addressed. For instance, when New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced his intentions to run for office, there were significant articles praising him for improving his health. He adopted a plant-based diet, lost significant weight and reversed a diabetes diagnosis. But what we should really be looking at is whether people with far fewer resources than Adams are positioned to do the same. Until there are no food deserts, until healthcare is affordable and accessible, until mental health care is within reach or communities are walkable, we cannot celebrate anomalies. It is only when the least connected among us has access to the resources to improve their health over the long term that we can feel a sense of accomplishment.
Shared Responsibility Unfortunately, too many employers place sole responsibility
for health and wellness on employees without examining the ways in which they compromise workers’ or the community’s health. For example, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said in a 2020 New York Times interview that people were obese because they made poor choices. He also blamed obesity on ignorance without accounting for access issues or acknowledging the ways in which the broader culture threatens optimal health. Air pollution, low pay and inaccessible transportation systems all influence a person’s health. During the pandemic, he also noted that “the best solution is for people to not need healthcare,” a tonedeaf comment amid skyrocketing COVID-19 cases. Regardless of what some may suggest, illness is not always a consequence of personal failings. Suggesting that if people ate right, exercised and cared for themselves they wouldn’t be ill is ableist. It’s also convenient for employers who want to absolve themselves of the responsibility of properly supporting their employees’ health and well-being.
Pandemic Stress Unfortunately, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, roughly 60% of frontline caregivers said pandemic-related stress impacted their own health. Nurses have picked up extra shifts, worked to exhaustion, abandoned maternity leave and overall compromised themselves in service of others. In such an environment, self-care is an aspiration. Employers could have an immediate impact on the wellbeing of their teams if they staffed appropriately, provided adequate and safe working environments, improved the food culture inside hospitals and health systems, and offered access to mental health services. No amount of self-care will mitigate the crisis at work if hospital systems and administrators don’t take substantive action.
around our union
NEW YORK NURSE april 2022
Samaritan Medical Center Members Win Class Action Grievance
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he local bargaining unit at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, NY won a major class action grievance filed on behalf of new members in the hospital. Management had been paying lower recruitment bonuses to nurses than
they were owed. Nurses brought the issue to the executive committee, and together they escalated the resolution and recovered $70,000 in payments. Congratulations, Samaritan Medical Center nurses on the great win!
NYSNA to Participate in Federal Lobby Day
NYSNA Testifies at New York City Health Committee Budget Hearing
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Nurses March to Demand a New Deal for CUNY
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pproximately 100 union members, students and public education advocates marched across the Brooklyn Bridge calling for a New Deal for CUNY and SUNY. Advocates are urging a critical $500 million investment toward higher public education in the fiscal year 2023 state budget. This level of invest-
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ment would help create more fulltime faculty positions and mental health counselors. It would also go a long way towards rebuilding the academic department and restoring funding for SUNY’s three public teaching hospitals in Brooklyn, Stony Brook and Syracuse. While the budget process is still underway, we will fight for these investments.
YSNA Vice President Judith Cutchin, RN, MSN, delivered testimony at the New York City budget hearing on health. She urged the city to address racial and economic disparities in healthcare, and invest in the public health system. Cutchin also testified against the proposed cuts to the NYC Department of Health (DOH) and the NYC Health+Hospitals/ Mayorals (NYC H+H/Mayorals) system. In her remarks, Cutchin noted, “The DOH and NYC H+H/ Mayorals are key to addressing the serious levels of inequity in healthcare. We should not be cutting their budgets — instead, more funding should be added to address inequality and ensure a more equitable healthcare system.”
Upcoming Statewide Bargaining Retreats
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YSNA offers a host of bargaining retreats to expand members’ skills and position members to organize, build power and bargain. These trainings are especially important for executive committee/bargaining committee members whose contracts expire in 2022. A list of upcoming trainings is below. Be sure to see your rep to sign up for one or more of the sessions. l Wednesday, March 16, 7:30 p.m. l Tuesday, April 12 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (full day) l Tuesday, May 24, 7:30 p.m. l Monday, June 27 from 9:00 a.m.4:00 p.m. (full day) l Tuesday, July 26, 7:30 p.m. l Thursday, Aug. 18 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (full day) l Tuesday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.
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YSNA nurses will travel to Albany on April 26 for a NYS legislative lobby day. Additionally, ahead of nurses’ week, NYSNA members will join members of National Nurses United (NNU) for a week of virtual lobby visits with federal legislators May 2-6th. There will be a legislative conference to prep on May 2nd from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. NYSNA healthcare workers will advocate for national staffing ratios, Medicare for All and other issues and policies that impact nurse retention and patient care.
Receive the Help You Need
Important Benefits for NYSNA Members: Union Assistance Program
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ife is filled with ups and downs. You do not have to experience life’s most challenging moments alone. The Union Assistance Program (UAP) is a confidential self-help program, independent from NYSNA, that is available to NYSNA members and their families as a benefit of membership. Employees or family members (18 or older) can call UAP’s experienced counselors at 800-252-4555 for assistance at any time. This spring, UAP will offer Peer to Peer Support Sessions for NYSNA members. These sessions will be facilitated by professional clinicians. The goal of the program is to assist members with processing pandemic-related trauma, by providing safe spaces with peers. You may RSVP for the next session on May 4 at 7:00 p.m. Peer to Peer Support registration link www.tfaforms.com/4963406
NEW YORK NURSE april 2022
131 West 33rd Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10001
INSIDE
Employers Can Recognize the Value of Nurses..., p. 2
NYSNA Works to Ensure Healthcare Workers..., p. 3
Non-Profit US Postage Paid NYSNA