NEW YORK NURSE: October/November 2007
by Mark Genovese
“In our eagerness to start a new life in the United States, we put our trust in Sentosa,” said Maricelle Dealo. “We never thought in our wildest dreams that it would turn out to be a nightmare for us.”
Dealo is one of the “Sentosa 27,” 26 registered nurses and one physical therapist from the Philippines who were brought to the U.S. in November 2005, only to be exploited and abused by an unscrupulous employer.
During the Convention meeting of the Delegate Assembly, she and others spoke in heartbreaking detail about their experiences and thanked NYSNA staff and members for their help.
Dealo described how they were recruited in the Philippines by the Sentosa Recruitment Agency to work in specific facilities on Long Island. After arrival, they found they were working for an agency, Prompt/Sentosa Services, rather than the facilities themselves. After the RNs started work, they were given little or no orientation before being sent out on the floors. Staffing was inadequate and they were forced to work overtime on a routine basis.
They discussed these issues with their employer, to no avail. In April 2006, believing they had no alternative, the nurses resigned from their jobs.
Within days, SentosaCare sued the nurses for breach of contract and filed charges against them with the State Board for Nursing. This put their RN licenses on hold.
NYSNA stepped in and urged the State Board to expedite review of the charges, which accused the nurses of patient abandonment. In September 2006, the State Office of Professional Discipline dismissed the charges and released the RNs’ licenses.
Meanwhile, 10 of the nurses and their attorney were indicted by the Suffolk County District Attorney on charges of conspiracy and endangering the welfare of patients at the Avalon Gardens Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Smithtown. A hearing on these charges was scheduled for December and NYSNA has continued to provide support.
“Little did these nurses think they’d have to leave their dignity and self respect behind when they came to this country,” said Barbara Crane, Delegate Assembly president. “This was a group of nurses who stood up to a political machine. I see a tremendous amount of courage here today.”