Since President Donald Trump was elected nearly two years ago, NYSNA nurses have been fighting back against attacks on our healthcare system. We knew from the pre-election policy blueprint, Project 2025, that the Trump administration was planning deep cuts to our healthcare system that would slash people’s access to healthcare and skyrocket healthcare costs.
Last year, NYSNA members at seven facilities joined forces to defend safe, quality patient care in New York’s North Country. Over the last decade, hospitals have eroded patient care in rural New York, and nurses and healthcare professionals saw an opportunity to advocate for their patients in upcoming contract campaigns. Since then, five hospitals have settled fair contracts, but two holdouts remain.
As the NYSNA healthcare staffing coordinator, I have been working with our members statewide to identify where we can help nurses at the facility and state level to improve staffing. Employers have shown that their primary focus continues to be on improving their bottom line, which frequently means that nurses are working short-staffed, without adequate frontline support staff or a combination of both.
