Nurses Help Secure Critical Funding for North Country Hospitals

For months, NYSNA nurses at North Star/Carthage Area Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center have been fighting to protect patient care in their community. They began the year in the midst of a contract campaign, fighting for the fair contract their communities deserve. They secured a strong new contract in early February that protected patient care. However, a new challenge quickly presented itself: North Star filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and talks of potential closures or cuts to staff and services immediately began.  

Fresh off their contract victory, NYSNA nurses jumped into action to defend access to care in their rural communities. On Wednesday, March 18, nurses from Carthage and Claxton-Hepburn held a speak-out to protect patient care. Nurses from both facilities called on the New York State Department of Health (DOH) to take action and fund the hospitals in order to keep them open and keep care local for North Country residents.  

After the speak-out, nurses also launched a community petition, asking North Country residents to join their call for DOH intervention. The petition gained more than 1,000 signatures in just a few days, showing that North Country residents recognized the severity of the situation and the importance of these hospitals for their communities.  

Victory for Nurses and Patients

On Wednesday, March 25, lawyers for North Star revealed during bankruptcy proceedings that the DOH agreed to fund the hospital group, keeping both facilities open and preventing layoffs. North Star received its first disbursement that day and will continue to receive stabilization funds over the next eight weeks.  

Coming on the heels of the speak-out, this DOH intervention represents a huge victory for North Country nurses and patients. The North Country has long been an under resourced region of the state, where hospital consolidations and closures and service cuts have eroded access to care. Federal cuts to healthcare funding are expected to make the situation even worse.

But Carthage and Claxton-Hepburn nurses are showing that when we fight, we win! By speaking out and advocating for their communities, nurses secured the funding needed to keep their hospitals open and their patients healthy. Though the fight to protect access to care in the North Country may not be over yet, nurses have made it clear: we won’t back down when patient care is on the line.