Nurses say ‘Keep Mt. Vernon Hospital open’

New leaders, action needed to save hospital

LATHAM, August 16, 2012 — Mt. Vernon Hospital could close any day, nurses warn. They will call for immediate action to save the hospital at a press conference in front of the hospital, 12 North Seventh Ave., Mt. Vernon, N.Y. this Monday, August 20, at 9:00 AM.

Nurses say the hospital is in crisis:

Hospital administrators are delaying pay to nonunion staff.
Important vendors – like medical labs and housekeeping contractors – fear they will not get paid and have stopped work at the hospital.
Management has closed the dialysis lab and is sending dialysis patients to Sound Shore Medical Center.
The New York Department of Corrections is diverting patients to other facilities.

At last count the hospital was down to just 17 patients.

The hospital provides critical Emergency Room and other services for the Mt. Vernon area.

Nurses say the state of New York and local officials need to step in to save the hospital. Their union, the New York State Nurses Association, is calling on CEO John Spicer to resign.

Last Friday, hospital Chief Financial Officer Al Farino resigned.

“We are proud of our hospital and the work we do,” said Tracey McCook, a registered nurse at the hospital. “We will do everything in our power to keep the doors open and serve this community.”

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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