(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 1 reports more than 2,500 complaints under several area hospitals’ clinical staffing plans have been filed with the New York State Department of Health (DOH) on behalf of Health Care Workers across the Catholic Health System in Buffalo.

The new batch of staffing complaints comes on the heels of thousands that were submitted by CWA District 1 in November across the Kaleida Health System in Buffalo, Arnot Ogden in Elmira and New York Presbyterian in Manhattan.

CWA Local 1133 President Brian Magner said: “Our Members have been grappling with understaffing for far too long.  We must address the critical staffing shortages plaguing Catholic Health System facilities.  Our efforts to work with Catholic Health System management to improve staffing at the hospitals just aren’t enough and our patients and our Staff deserve better.  We urge the Department of Health to prioritize robust enforcement of this law.  Until we address the pervasive short staffing, our Members will continue to document staffing complaints and raise awareness about these working conditions that jeopardize the safety and health of our community.” 

The State’s 2021 Clinical Staffing Committee Law requires Staffing Committees at each hospital to negotiate staffing plans for each Patient Care Unit - these staffing plans establish the number of patients each Health Care Worker can be assigned.

Since January 2023, New York has cited 15 hospitals for violating their agreed-on staffing plans.

These newest complaints were gathered across Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Sisters of Charity Hospital, St. Joseph’s Campus, and include: Despite the demanding nature of critical care patients, the Hospital only provided nine Registered Nurses to care for 26 patients, falling short of the staffing that is now legally required; The number of Aides were also deficient by 50%; This staffing shortfall in the ICU raises significant concerns about patient safety and underscores the immediate need for corrective action to ensure safe  -patient care; 39 patients required care on a Telemetry Unit - alarmingly, the hospital did not designate a Charge Nurse to oversee operations; The available six Registered Nurses did not meet the required ratio of 1-to-4 - instead, each Nurse was tasked to care for between six and seven patients; The Aides were each assigned 13 patients, again far exceeding the required maximum; On one night shift, only a single Registered Nurse was assigned to care for the Unit’s six patients - the Registered Nurse was stretched to their limits and was supported by just one Nurse Assistant - not only did this scenario fail to meet the required staffing ratios in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but also posed significant risks to patient care and safety.

Such instances of inadequate staffing have persisted, the CWA said, and the safety and security of health care workers remains a major concern of the Union and of the community.

On another front, the CWA said hospital management at St. Joseph’s unilaterally submitted a staffing plan that allows the hospital to assign up to 20 patients to one Registered Nurse and 40 to one Licensed Practical Nurse in the Addiction Unit.

This short staffing endangers both Staff and patients in the only Unit, other than the Emergency Department that is open on weekends, said Union Officials, who added no management or supervision are present to assist or direct operations, leaving those duties to the overworked Nurses, in addition to their already overwhelming workload. 

Following the thousands of complaints submitted by CWA District 1 in November, the State Department of Health has begun conducting unannounced visits to hospitals across New York to investigate their adherence to the 2021 Clinical Staffing Committee Law.

"At CWA District One, we've been steadfast in our commitment to implementing the Staffing Law in our health care facilities, standing alongside our Members and patients every step of the way fighting for safe staffing,” CWA District 1 Area Director Deb Hayes said. 

“As our Members file complaints when staffing plans are being violated, the Department of Health must intervene and confront the short staffing epidemic across the State so we can deliver the safe and quality care that New York State residents urgently require and rightfully deserve," she said. 

To help address the staffing crisis, Health Care Unions across New York have been calling for the Department of Health to robustly enforce the 2021 Staffing Law and for State Leaders to fully fund Medicaid reimbursement in the Fiscal Year 2025 State Budget.