Albany Med Slapped with Historic Fines

In early June, just days after NYSNA nurses at Albany Medical Center held a speak-out to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the New York State Department of Health’s (DOH) investigation at the hospital, the DOH leveled historic fines against Albany Med. The DOH ordered hospital administrators to pay $375,000 in fines, a historic number to match Albany Med’s historic number of staffing violations.  

Last summer, after receiving numerous complaints from nurses about unsafe staffing levels, the DOH began an investigation at Albany Med. When their investigation concluded a few months later, hospital administrators received an official copy of the staffing deficiency report, outlining the violations they had found at Albany Med. Despite their legal obligation to share the report with nurses—and work together on a corrective action plan—hospital leadership refused to do so. It wasn’t until February 2025 that nurses gained access to the report.  

No Hospital is Above the Law

The DOH’s report and the accompanying fines leveled against the hospital — the largest to-date in New York — are the result of tireless advocacy from nurses at Albany Med who have continued to speak out about the staffing crisis at the hospital, despite retaliation from management and pushback from anti-union nurses. These fines — alongside the settlement and the hospital’s admission of guilt — also validate nurses’ concerns about the detrimental impact that understaffing has on patient care in the capital region and send a message to other hospitals across the state that no one is above the law.    

After finally seeing action from the DOH, NYSNA nurses at Albany Med are more fired up than ever. They continue to grow support for their contract campaign inside and out of the hospital, and remain committed to the fight to protect safe, quality patient care in the capital region. Stay tuned for upcoming actions at Albany Med in support of the fair contract that both nurses and patients deserve.