Nurses Across NYC Protest Reported Poor Working Conditions
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Registered nurses from 13 different hospitals and facilities across the city took part in a day of protest on Wednesday, after new reports exposed poor working conditions and staffing problems.
Nurses from Mount Sinai West were carrying signs that said things like "Stop Workplace Violence" and "Medicare For All," as part of a demonstration by thousands of nurses across all five boroughs on Tuesday. They are not happy with what they say is inadequate staffing, adding it prevents them from giving patients the care they need and deserve.
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The rallies across the city were staged as a result of new reports that list hundreds of complaints filed by nurses from New York Presbyterian, Mount Sinai and Montefiore hospitals.
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The complaints all stem from being understaffed and range from long wait times that lead to dangerous conditions for nurses working in, for example, the psychiatric unit to complaints from nurses working in labor and delivery.
"Mothers having to wait long times because of low staffing to get into a room just to be taken care of," labor and delivery nurse Linda Sledge said.
The nurses are in the midst of bargaining for their contracts. Among their requests, they want to see improved staffing ratios. For example, in some departments one nurse is needed for every four patients, but instead they're dealing with double the patients, more like eight to 10.
