FEBRUARY 2019
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT WESTCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER
Westchester Region Nurses Unite at Inter-Regional Meeting More than 80 NYSNA nurses gathered on February 6th at the Westchester/Hudson Valley Inter-regional meeting for a robust discussion about the upcoming state legislative session, and about solidarity actions we can take in support of public and private sector nurses in New York City.
All in for Safe Staffing Westchester Med nurses brainstormed with our fellow Westchester/ Hudson Valley nurses various strategies for winning safe staffing this legislative session. We were buoyed by the Governor’s budget announcement that the Department of Health will begin studying how to ensure safe staffing to improve patient safety. This study is the first step toward creating regulations that improve staffing ratios in facilities throughout New York State. The Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act (A2954/S1032) has also been reintroduced this session, and NYSNA nurses intend to travel to Albany on March 6 and April 2 to lobby for its passage. We came so close last year, and with a new Democratic majority in the State Senate thanks to the efforts of nurses and organized labor around the state, we have improved our chances of winning a legislative victory. Ten elected officials attended the Inter-regional meeting, including Yonkers City Council President, Mike Khader, Council Members from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th Districts, two Westchester County Legislators, and the Deputy County Executive. They all affirmed their support for safe staffing, and Assembly Member Kevin Byrne (AD-94, R), along with a representative from the office of State Senator James Skoufis (SD-39, D), committed to getting safe staffing legislation passed this year!
“The Inter-regional brings together nurses from different facilities to support one another and to learn about what’s happening in politics that affects nurses,” said Carmela Sansone, RN. “After going to Lobby Day, I saw how important it is that bedside nurses explain safe staffing to elected officials, because they hear from the opposition so much about costs alone, that they really don’t understand the whole issue. I’m going again this year, because when you talk directly to them, they begin to understand the whole costs of unsafe staffing in terms of patient safety, readmissions, nurse retention, and overall patient care.” Since the Inter-regional meeting, Yonkers City Council passed a unanimous resolution in support of the safe staffing bill, citing Council Members’ meeting with nurses as the reason they took swift action. It is critical that nurses mobilize and demonstrate the continued and urgent need for safe staffing. Already, nearly 100 nurses from our region have signed up for the April 2 Lobby Day. Register today at http://bit.ly/nysnalobby2019
Nurse Solidarity is Strong At the meeting earlier this month, Westchester/ Hudson Valley nurses also expressed deep solidarity with our neighboring New York City nurses, and committed to support the nearly 9,000 NYC Health + Hospitals nurses who begin contract negotiations in June, as well as the 9,000 private-sector NYC Alliance Nurses (Montefiore, Mount Sinai, NY Presbyterian and St. Luke’s) in negotiations right now. With negotiations stalled, the NYC nurses may well go out on strike in March. They will need our continued solidarity. Talk to your Westchester Med delegates or NYSNA Representatives about how you can lend support.