NYSNA Nurses Advocate for Resources Amid Federal Cuts
NYSNA nurses across the state are fighting to protect safety-net hospitals that serve vulnerable New Yorkers. Patient care is under attack and the cuts to federal healthcare funding, enacted as part of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Big Bill Act (OBBBA), are threatening our already overburdened and underfunded public healthcare system. Federal funding cuts, without adequate state investment, threaten healthcare services for New Yorkers who are low-income, immigrants, or rely on Medicare or Medicaid.
NYSNA members refuse to stand by while their communities lose critical access to healthcare. On Thursday, Aug. 27, nurses traveled to the State Capitol in Albany to testify in support of proposed mergers that would uplift two safety-net hospitals.
The Department of Health’s Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) heard from both Maimonides Medical Center and St. John’s Riverside Hospital, which are proposing mergers with NYC Health+Hospitals (H+H) and the Montefiore Health System, respectively, with grants from the state’s Safety Net Transformation Program (SNTP).
Nurses are excited about the prospect of funding for the financially struggling hospitals, and hopeful the mergers will ensure they maintain safe, quality patient care for the communities they serve.
Nurses Support the Maimonides Merger
Maimonides is the largest hospital in New York's most populous county and serves a diverse population, with more than 80% of its patients on Medicare or Medicaid. Nurses believe the H+H system is a good match due to its experience running large safety-net hospitals and serving diverse patients with cultural competency.
Importantly, nurses said the merger and influx of funding would mean more resources for patients to get care before ailments become critical.
“By the time I see many of these under resourced patients in the ICU, treatable conditions like diabetes have escalated into dire conditions like diabetic shock,” said Megan Kuehne, RN, who has worked at Maimonides as a float nurse for seven years. “This merger can help these patients. H+H is known for excellent outpatient care. More patients will be able to get the preventative care they need to keep them out of the hospital.”
Oversight for Funding Support
Similarly, the Montefiore Health System is proposing an acquisition of St. John’s Riverside, the highest volume safety-net provider in Southern Westchester County. Considering Montefiore’s history of acquiring community hospitals, nurses urged the state to make sure Montefiore is transparent about how it uses the grant awarded for the merger. In 2013, Montefiore acquired Mount Vernon Hospital, only to propose its closure in 2019. Nurses and community members successfully advocated against the closure.
“We’re asking this Council, and the Department of Health, to ensure there will be no future loss of services or attempted closures at St. John’s Riverside Hospital facilities,” said Devin McLaughlin, RN, an emergency department nurse at the hospital. “The patients and communities that depend on us for care cannot afford to have a healthcare giant redirect critical state funding to increase their own profits if it means reducing access to care for those who need it the most.”
What’s Next
The PHHPC committee approved both the Maimonides and St. John’s Riverside proposals following public comments, pushing the deals forward for a full PHHPC vote later this month. NYSNA nurses will continue to advocate to ensure our communities have access to the care they need.
NYSNA nurses are supportive of hospital mergers and state investments that increase access to care for our patients. Kudos to Maimonides and St. John’s Riverside NYSNA nurses for showing up to fight for the patients and communities they serve!