Using Our Voice Locally and

nurses are using our powerful voice to advocate for our profession and patients — from the halls of Albany to the nation’s capital to the ballot box. Beyond describing the problems that exist in our workplaces and in the healthcare system, NYSNA nurses are leading the way on finding solutions and advocating for change from the frontlines.

NYsNA Nurses Fight for a Fair state Budget

On March 22, hundreds of NYSNA nurses were in Albany to lobby for a fair state budget that prioritizes nurses and patients.

Nurses held an energetic press conference with dozens of elected officials and community allies and lobbied for a state budget that expands access to healthcare, fully addresses chronic underfunding of safety-net and public hospitals, and stabilizes the nursing workforce by enforcing safe staffing laws and supporting education, recruitment and retention efforts.

A Better Budget Passes

In May, the governor and legislature reached an agreement on the state budget. Together NYSNA members successfully advocated against harmful policy proposals like the interstate nursing licensure compact and protected nursing scope of practice. It includes increases in Medicaid reimbursements for all hospitals and nursing homes, improved services and access to Medicaid and other safety-net programs, and more money to support safety-net hospitals’ day-to-day operations and capital needs.

However, elected officials must do more to meet the nursing crisis in the state and the country. The budget does little to address the root causes of the healthcare staffing emergency and the inequities in our healthcare system. There are no specific provisions to increase nursing school teaching capacity, improve recruitment and retention, or support improved working conditions that will keep nurses and other healthcare workers from leaving the bedside.

We know the fight doesn’t end here. Our members will con- tinue advocating for policies that advance health equity by fairly funding safety-net hospitals, expanding access to care for all and supporting the nursing workforce.

Nurses return to Albany

After the state budget, NYSNA members were quick to organize around their priorities and were back in Albany for the Legislative Lobby Day on May 16.

Nurses met with lawmakers and their staff to share the challenges nurses face and offer solutions to improve their patients’ care and safety. Nurses presented NYSNA’s main priorities of improving staffing and nurse recruitment in hospitals and nursing homes, protecting nursing practice standards, and expanding and improving access to healthcare to all New Yorkers.

Sapna Singh, RN, of NYC Health+Hospitals/Elmhurst Hospital shared her experience of what having safe staffing can achieve. “My telemetry unit is always constantly understaffed, but we had this one wonderful day when all the staff was there. Guess what happened when we had the whole staff? We were able to take care of our patients so much better. Every call bell was answered. Every patient was well taken care of. All