**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TODAY, June 14 AT NOON** 

Contact:  Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489 
Eliza M. Bates | eliza.bates@nysna.org | 646-285-8491 

NYC Public Hospital Nurses Picket at Jacobi Medical Center, Demand Fair Contract with Pay Equity and Safe Staffing 

NYSNA nurses and allies to rally for equity for nurses and patients 

Nurses escalate actions at public hospitals while working under expired contract  

Overworked and underpaid staff nurses outraged that city is spending over half a billion dollars per year on expensive travel nurses instead of settling contract that will recruit and retain staff nurses 

New York, NY—NYSNA nurses from New York City Health+Hospitals (NYC H+H) / Jacobi Medical Center are holding a rally at the hospital to demand pay equity for nurses and health equity for patients.

NYC public hospitals are facing a crisis of chronic understaffing and high turnover due to low pay that harms patient care. NYC H+H nurses are calling on Mayor Adams and the city to settle a fair contract with competitive pay that helps to recruit and retain enough nurses for safe, quality patient care at NYC’s public hospitals and mayoral agencies.

The protest comes on the heels of last week’s protest at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, and several more protests are planned for the coming weeks. Every day that nurses go without a fair contract is a day that more staff nurses leave the public sector and the city spends more than $1.5 million on temp travel nurses.

WHAT: Rally for a Fair Contract with Pay Equity and Safe Staffing

WHO: NYSNA public-sector nurses, Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition and other allies.

WHERE: NYC Health+Hospitals/ Jacobi Medical Center, 1400 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, NY

WHEN: Wednesday, June 14 at noon

VISUALS: Nurses and supporters rallying and informational picketing with signs in front of the hospital. Media availability with public-sector nurses. Livestream available at www.facebook.com/nynurses

BACKGROUND

According to data the city has shared, NYC spent over half a billion dollars on temporary travel nurse contracts in 2022 – largely to fill gaps created by the city paying staff nurses too little to be able to afford to stay at the bedside. Much of that money went to for-profit staffing companies instead of into the pockets of Black and Brown New Yorkers caring for their communities. NYC could save hundreds of millions of dollars and solve the crisis of high turnover and chronic understaffing by raising pay for public hospital nurses, who make nearly $20,000 less a year than their private sector counterparts. 

City officials, including Comptroller Brad Lander, are also raising concerns about the high costs and implications for standards of care with NYC Health+Hospitals’ reliance on temporary travel nurses. According to Politico, his office sent a letter on June 2 demanding data and documents related to the public system’s spending with temporary staffing agencies.

NYC Health+Hospitals is the largest public health system in the United States, caring for 1.4 million New Yorkers each year, regardless of ability to pay, including 475,000 uninsured patients. NYC H+H accounts for approximately 18% of total city-wide hospital beds and provides almost half of all Level I emergency trauma care and acute in-patient mental health services. The public system provides care to a disproportionate number of uninsured and under-insured residents, and also provides a disproportionate share of expensive health services that are poorly reimbursed (Level I Trauma and Emergency services; acute inpatient psychiatric services; obstetric/L&D services; primary care; and other services). It relies on more than $1 billion in city subsidies to maintain current operations. 

NYSNA NYC H+H/Mayorals nurses work in 11 acute care hospitals, dozens of ambulatory care and primary care clinic settings, and four long-term care facilities. Mayoral nurses keep first responders like police and firefighters healthy and on the job, while also providing direct care health services to New Yorkers receiving assistance from agencies such as the Administration for Child Services, the Department of Social Services and other programs providing homeless services and mental health crisis services.  

###