NYSNA Slams NewYork-Presbyterian’s Announcement of Sweeping Staffing Cuts

Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169  
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489 
 

For Immediate Release: May 19, 2025

NYSNA Slams NewYork-Presbyterian’s Announcement of Sweeping Staffing Cuts

New York City’s Richest Hospital Cuts Jobs and Care to Communities

NYP Plans to Cut Nurses at Flagship NYP-Columbia, Brooklyn Methodist, and Hudson Valley Hospitals

New York, NY – NYSNA members throughout the NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) Health System were alarmed to hear in a video townhall on Monday, May 5, about a sweeping 2% staffing cut across the hospital system. Steve Corwin, President and CEO, and Brian Donley, VP and COO, made the announcement on the same day the news broke about the hospital’s $750 million settlement for survivors of Dr. Hadden's sexual abuse. Corwin stated: "This is one of the strongest institutions in the country, from the standpoint of care and the standpoint of its own finances. But nevertheless, we need to take these actions."  

NYP is New York City’s wealthiest hospital system and one of the country’s most financially stable. Given their current economic position, NYSNA is demanding to see evidence that the hospital needs to make sweeping job cuts. The announced 2% across the board cuts mean more than 1,000 healthcare workers will lose their jobs.  

According to their third quarter 2024 financial report, NYP had a healthy profit margin- 4.5%. CEO Steve Corwin alone made more than $14.6 million in salary, benefits, and perks in 2023. Over 30 of NYP’s top-paid executives made more than $1 million a year in salary, benefits, and perks in 2023. According to their own financial statement, as of 2024, NYP had one of the lower shares of revenue from Medicaid patients – approximately 14.5% of its revenue came from Medicaid.  

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said: “It is outrageous and deeply offensive that NewYork-Presbyterian is exploiting the real threat that impending federal Medicaid cuts pose to New York’s public, safety-net and rural hospitals, to cut jobs at the city’s wealthiest hospital. New York’s non-profit hospitals should be defending care for all New Yorkers in the face of federal threats to funding, not focused on how to deliver even more profits to their trustees at the expense of our communities.”

NYSNA nurses demand to see the financial reports and projections the hospital is using to justify cutting jobs and care at a time when New York’s non-profit healthcare providers should be protecting quality care for patients.

Nurses’ primary concern is quality patient care. Healthcare worker cuts mean less healthcare for patients. After pressing for details in writing, NYSNA learned that 70 nurses will be laid off at NYP-Columbia, NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, and NYP-Hudson Valley Hospital. These hospitals already struggle with hiring and retaining enough nurses for safe staffing. These cuts will only further threaten patient care.

NYSNA Director at Large Aretha Morgan, RN, MSN, said: “NYP’s job cuts put the children I care for at the Children’s Hospital at risk –and that is unacceptable. These irresponsible and unnecessary cuts to the staff who deliver care will cause harm in the communities we serve.”  

NYSNA nurses demand a reversal of cuts to frontline staff and guaranteed placement of displaced nurses in the NYP hospital system. Nurses demand transparency and a written commitment that NYP will not cut the essential healthcare services patients need. NYSNA members are prepared to defend quality care for our patients.  

Local NYSNA leaders in the NYP system, Jaiveer Grewal, RN, at NYP-Columbia, Aldrich Crispino, RN, at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist and Renee Mauro, RN, of NYP-Hudson Valley Hospital, said: “Shame on NYP for taking advantage of a chaotic political environment to cut staff, including frontline staff. Most hospitals in New York state would be thrilled with NYP’s profits. If NYP truly needs to cut expenses, they should look at the compensation of the dozens of millionaires on their payroll, or in areas that will not reduce the staff and services that our patients rely on."

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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.