(OLEAN) – Saying Safe-Staffing is Needed with Nurses Being Forced to Take On Too Many Patients at One Time, 220 New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)-Represented Registered Nurses (RNs) will hold an Informational Picket outside Olean General Hospital on Wednesday (June 19), the Union announced.

The RNs have also been in New Contract Negotiations with the Southern Tier Hospital since November of last year.  The Informational Picket will take place outside Olean General Hospital from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

NYSNA has Proposed Safe Minimum Staffing Levels at Olean General Hospital to Ensure Safe Care for Patients.   Union Representatives say New Nurses are Being Forced to Take On Too Many Patients at One Time, and that RNs are “Burning Out” – which is Making Recruitment and Retention an On-Going Problem and Financial Burden for the Hospital.
 
Patient Safety is the Nurses’ Primary Concern, but Being Forced to Care for Too Many Patients at One Time puts that Safety in Jeopardy, NYSNA Officials said.  The Union-Represented Nurses have expressed they often Leave their Shift “feeling like I did the Very Best I could do – with Very Little Staff.”   When Planning RN Staffing, Acuity or Severity of Illness, all must be considered, said NYSNA Officials, who added the Hospital currently Staffs its Units Based Solely on Numbers of Patients, and not the Acuity of those Patients. 

NYSNA - The Voice For Nursing In The Empire State - Represents more than 37,000 Members and is the State's Largest Professional Association and Union for RNs.  NYSNA also Supports Nurses and Nursing Practice through Education, Research, Legislative Advocacy and Collective Bargaining.