Nurses warn of patients in danger at hospital

November 24, 2021
1:28 pm

CORTLAND MANOR – Nurses at New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital (NYP-HVH) held an informational picket in front of the hospital on Tuesday to draw attention to conditions at the facility. The nurses, represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) say that patients are at risk due to understaffing.

The nurses gathered at the hospital on Crompond Road hospital, joined by elected officials and community activists, to speak out against the unsafe staffing and patient wait times throughout the hospital during the informational picket.

The Registered Nurses spoke out against the understaffing and said that the ICU patients are at risk because “an RN may be assigned four patients, instead of the safe, professional staffing standard of one or two patients per nurse” according to NYSNA. According to one nurse, In the ER, patients are held for hours, even days, while waiting for an available bed in the hospital. A NYSNA spokesperson also warned about unsafe conditions on the night shift in the Labor and Delivery unit. The NYSNA representative said that there are routinely two nurses working when there should be five, putting mothers and babies at risk.

NYSNA nurses say that the NYP-HVH administration continues to interfere with the nurses’ union rights, including illegally firing a union activist nurse at the beginning of the pandemic to harassing nurses for distributing union literature outside the hospital, which is protected by federal labor law.

NYP-HVH nurses are united in demanding safe staffing for their patients and a real plan to recruit and retain nurses., according to a statement issued by NYSNA.

Renee Mauro, RN, a 25-year veteran nurse at NYP-HVH said “This is supposed to be a Magnet hospital where nurses’ voices are respected and heard and where quality patient care is the top priority. Nurses will continue to speak out when we believe patient safety is at risk, and we will continue to fight to make this hospital the best it can be.”