NYSNA Members at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Hold Speak-out to Demand Safe Staffing
For immediate release: Tues., May 20
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
NYSNA MEMBERS AT CHAMPLAIN VALLEY PHYSICIANS HOSPITAL HELD SPEAK-OUT TO DEMAND SAFE STAFFING
After management lowered safe staffing standards and put patient care at risk, healthcare professionals held speak-out to demand better for their patients and respect for nurses
CVPH lowers safety standards in violation of NYSNA members’ contract and New York State staffing law
Plattsburgh, N.Y. - On Tuesday, May 20, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses and healthcare professionals at the University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Medical Center (CVPH) held a speak-out to demand safe staffing for quality patient care at their community hospital. In April, management unilaterally lowered safe staffing standards in four medical-surgical units, placing patient care at risk. NYSNA members are demanding that CVPH listen to its frontline staff and invest in hiring and retaining more nurses for safe staffing instead of trying to lower standards to avoid accountability.
The hospital already struggles with understaffing, especially in the medical-surgical units and the emergency room. When the hospital lowered safe staffing standards, they did so in violation of the state staffing law and NYSNA members' contract, and without consulting frontline staff, who are experts in patient care. Instead of hiring more nurses to address the problem, hospital administrators changed the nurse-to-patient staffing ratio to make it less safe.
CVPH joined the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) in 2017 and currently serves patients in northern New York state, Vermont, and into Canada. It is one of only seven hospitals in the North Country providing maternity care. UVMHN is rapidly expanding into New York state and currently has six hospitals, including three in New York, two provider networks, and a home health and hospice service.
Samantha Kalman, RN, BSN, said, “Management refuses to listen to nurses and take safe patient care seriously. Instead, they are trying to manipulate numbers to avoid accountability. The consolidation of our hospital into UVM’s larger system means it's often hard to get administrators to respond to concerns that affect quality care for patients. We’re here because we need management to listen and hire more nurses.”
The state’s safe staffing law requires hospitals to submit staffing plans made in coordination with frontline staff to the Department of Health. Instead of following the submitted plans, which calculate the number of nurses necessary to safely care for patients, CVPH unilaterally changed the safe staffing ratios and put patient care at risk.
In late 2024, Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) issued an order requiring reductions in UVMMC's budget for 2025 because the hospital had exceeded its assigned cap on net patient revenue by $80 million the year prior. However, instead of investing profits in patient care and hiring more nurses and other healthcare professionals, the hospital system has responded by cutting staff and services.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “Like many community hospitals being swallowed by larger systems, CVPH is struggling to put patients first. Instead, they are cutting corners and changing staffing standards to avoid accountability. I applaud our members raising their voices, as they always do, and calling attention to the issues that affect patient care.”
Instead of lowering patient care standards, CVPH should be working to hire and retain more nurses and invest in safe patient care. NYSNA members are taking action by speaking out for patients and filing complaints with the New York State Department of Health. NYSNA members are demanding CVPH listen to its nurses and abide by safe staffing standards to protect patient care.
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The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.