(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - Hundreds of New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)-represented Nurses and Health Care Professionals held their annual lobby day at the State Capitol in Albany on Tuesday (March 5th), visiting Elected Leaders before holding a press conference to call on the State to invest in quality health care for all New Yorkers and to address the continued staffing crisis.

Nurses were joined by Senate Health Committee Chair Senator Gustavo Rivera, Senator Robert Jackson, Assembly Health Chair Amy Paulin, Senator Jessica Ramos, Assembly Members Harry Bronson, Aileen Gunther, Karines Reyes and Phara Souffrant Forrest, and Local 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Political Organizer Alizandra Garri.

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said: "NYSNA Nurses and Health Care Professionals are on the frontlines and we know what our patients need.  Our patients across New York State need and deserve quality care, regardless of their zip code, race or ethnicity, income or whether they live in a big city or rural area.  Patients need more access to health care and they need more Nurses to care for them safely.  Instead, we’ve seen hospitals cut services and fail to hire and retain enough Nurses at the bedside.  It’s time for Albany to listen to Nurses and to invest in quality care for all New Yorkers."

While Nurses continue to care for all New Yorkers - regardless of ability to pay, Albany’s underfunding of Medicaid strains the State’s Health Care System, the speakers said, adding that instead of cutting Medicaid in the New York State Budget, Nurses are calling on Albany to fully fund Medicaid.

NYSNA Members called on Legislators to listen to Nurses and to prioritize: Holding hospitals accountable for safe staffing; Solving the Nurse staffing crisis through education, loan forgiveness, recruitment and retention programs; Fixing Tier 6 of the New York State Pension Fund to help retain public hospitals' most experienced Nurses and ensure that they can retire with dignity; Protecting quality care by safeguarding New York’s Nursing Practice Standards; and Fairly funding underserved communities and prohibiting hospital closures of maternity and other essential health care services.  

More Nurses means better care, but New York’s broken Health Care System has created a staffing crisis in hospitals and nursing homes, NYSNA Leadership said, adding that many health care facilities are failing to staff facilities with enough Nurses and Front-Line Caregivers to ensure safe, quality care for all.

To Read This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: Hundreds of NYSNA Nurses Rallied at the State Capitol to Sound Alarm on Staffing Crisis in Hospitals and Nursing Homes | New York State Nurses Association