(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – In what’s become a familiar bone of contention in the health care field, Registered Nurses (RNs) employed at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) on Tuesday (August 2nd) protested Veterans Administration (VA) management’s delays in supporting RNs who are committed to providing the country’s Veterans the highest quality of care.

RNs employed at the VMAC highlighted their patient safety concerns, including short-staffing, RNs working as long as 20 hours straight, and management inaction on addressing these issues, National Nurses United (NNU) Representatives said.

NNU represents about 380 RNs at Buffalo VAMC.

“As Nurses, we pride ourselves in taking care of our patients, but we can’t provide the care they need and deserve when we’re short-staffed,” said Nicole White, an RN and NNU leader.

“There is a dire need for management to address this to improve patient care, decrease Nurse fatigue and improve Nurse recruitment and retention at our facility.  Lengthy shifts aren’t a long-term solution,” she said.

Mary Brady, a Nurse Practitioner and another NNU Leader, said: “We’ve seen a downward spiral of Nurses leaving, staffing getting even worse, and more Nurses leaving.  That’s why we need management to agree to more flexibility in Nurse scheduling.  When management leaves Nurses behind, they leave patients behind, too.”

NNU is the largest and fastest-growing Union and Professional Association of RNs in the United States with more than 175,000 Members nationwide.

To Directly Access This Labor News Story, Go To: www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/buffalo-va-medical-center-nurses-to-hold-protest