NYSNA Update: August 29, 2025
NYSNA Nurses at ECMC Save Lives after Buffalo Bus Accident
Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) is the only Level 1 trauma center for adults in Western New York, so when the hospital received notification of a mass casualty incident event related to a bus rollover in the area on Friday, Aug. 22, NYSNA nurses jumped into action and saved lives. NYSNA emergency department (ED) nurses are trained to treat life-threatening injuries and provide the best patient outcomes, but it is nearly impossible to prepare for an event of this scale. Nurses prepared trauma rooms and set up triage areas, surgical teams of every discipline got ready, while nurses ensured the intensive care unit and operating rooms were prepared to treat dozens of incoming patients. Injured patients arrived by helicopter and ambulance, and nurses immediately held the line, handling various kinds of injuries and displaying the skills and strength to deliver emergency care at a mass scale.
Sarah Macneil, RN, an ED nurse at ECMC, stated, “Even in the darkest moments, we rose together with strength in the chaos and proved every life is worth fighting for.”Krystal Peters, RN, another ECMC nurse present during the event, said, “This was the true definition of teamwork. I never would have thought that something you would normally see on TV would happen so close to home. Everyone involved handled the situation with such confidence and professionalism. I could not be prouder of my work family and what we managed to handle and achieve that day.”
Way to go, ECMC ED nurses! They cared for patients through a traumatic event and saved lives through exceptional teamwork, professionalism and compassionate care.
NYSNA Nurses Continue to Fight for Fair Sick Leave as H+H Celebrates Nurse Retention Milestone
While New York City Health + Hospitals (H+H) celebrates improvements in nurse retention and its new Pathway to Excellence with Distinction designation, NYSNA nurses at H+H are reminding management that nurse retention has improved because of NYSNA’s fight to achieve pay parity with the private sector and that there is no pathway to excellence without nurses! In 2023, NYSNA nurses fought tooth and nail to achieve historic raises and a fair contract with H+H that stopped the hemorrhaging of public sector nurses to the private sector. While the new contract has helped H+H facilities recruit thousands of nurses and stop high rates of turnover, management continues to make decisions that negatively impact nurses. The latest is H+H’s new interpretation of its long-standing sick leave policy that nurses say incentivizes them to work sick, potentially endangering their patients. Nurses are making it clear to management that just as pay parity is helping H+H retain nurses, so will a fair sick leave policy. They are asking management to listen to the nurses and are enlisting the help of elected officials to put pressure on them until they do. Last week, H+H nurses met with Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, RN, and Council Member Keith Powers to advocate for a fair sick leave policy. They will continue making the rounds in City Hall and organizing in their facilities until management reverses this unfair policy so nurses can use the sick time they have when they need it.
The Fight to Protect Women’s Health Continues!
Nurses in Schenectedy County are not backing down! On August 22, Ellis Medicine moved forward with plans to close most surgical services at Bellevue, except for c-sections, and move them to Ellis, which will place women’s healthcare in the region at risk. This comes months before originally planned, and despite vocal opposition from nurses and allies at a powerful town hall on August 13. But nurses in Schenectedy are not giving up! At a time when healthcare — including women's reproductive health services and Medicaid — is under attack at the federal level, we must fight to defend women's health and safe, quality patient care. Join nurses, community advocates, and allies in demanding that Ellis Medicine protect women's healthcare and restore surgical services at Bellevue Woman's Center!