TODAY: NYSNA Members Testify in Support of Protecting Continuity of Care, Staffing Levels Through Maimonides, Montefiore Mergers
**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, AUG. 27, 2026**
Contact: Joseph Celestin | press@nysna.org | 518-776-8337
Cara Noel | press@nysna.org | 718-678-9207
NYSNA MEMBERS TESTIFY IN SUPPORT OF PROTECTING CONTINUITY OF CARE, STAFFING LEVELS THROUGH MAIMONIDES, MONTEFIORE MERGERS
Albany, New York – On Thursday, Aug. 27, members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) will testify before the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council’s Establishment and Project Review Committee in support of two proposed hospital mergers, at Maimonides Medical Center and St. John’s Riverside Hospital, as a means of protecting continuity of care for patients and staffing levels for nurses.
During the hearing, the Committee will weigh the benefits of a merger between New York Health+Hospitals and Maimonides Medical Center, which would help maintain continuity of care at Maimonides. The facility has long operated with financial constraints, and the merger would provide financial stability, while also maintaining Maimonides’ commitment to caring for diverse communities. The Committee will also discuss Montefiore Health System’s potential acquisition of St. John’s Riverside Hospital, which includes St. John’s Division, Park Care Pavilion and Dobbs Ferry Pavilion.
WHO: NYSNA nurses
WHAT: Testimony before the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council’s Establishment and Project Review Committee in support of hospital mergers at Maimonides Medical Center and St. John’s Riverside Hospital
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 27 at 10:15 a.m.
WHERE: Empire State Plaza, Concourse Level, Meeting Rooms 2-4, Albany, NY 12237
The hearing will be livestreamed by the New York State Department of Health.
Maimonides Medical Center is the largest hospital in Kings County, New York's most populous county, and sits at the center of one of the most demographically diverse service areas in New York City, spanning Borough Park, Sunset Park, Bensonhurst, Midwood, Coney Island, and dozens of surrounding neighborhoods.
The hospital’s service area includes large Orthodox Jewish, Chinese, Latino, Russian, Caribbean, South Asian, and Southeast Asian communities. Roughly 30% of residents have limited English proficiency and 44% are foreign born. Continuity of culturally competent and religiously appropriate care for these communities must remain a top priority through any change in governance.
“Eighty-three percent of our patients are on Medicare or Medicaid, and many others are low-income or uninsured. Too often, they don’t seek care until their chronic conditions have become dangerous,” said NYSNA member Megan Kuehne, a nursing float in Maimonides Medical Center’s ICU. “Merging with Health and Hospitals would provide us with access to the technology and systems needed to expand high-quality, preventive care needed to better serve some of Brooklyn’s most underserved communities.”
“Around the country, federal healthcare cuts, and cuts to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements threaten facilities’ ability to serve some of our most vulnerable patients,” said NYSNA member Russell Pinsker, who works in Maimonides’ Cardio-Thoracic Intensive Care Unit. “As a life-long Brooklyn resident, I know firsthand the role Maimonides plays in the community by providing life-saving care, and through employee support of local businesses. Merging with Health+Hospitals would help ensure that communities maintain access to the local care and services that help keep them afloat in a changing economy.”
NYSNA members from St. John’s Riverside Hospital also testified at the hearing, voicing conditional support for a proposed partnership with Montefiore Health System, providing the partnership protects continuity of care for patients, and no service changes or facility closures.
“I’m a nurse, but last year, a health scare made me a patient,” said NYSNA member Devin McLaughlin, an emergency department nurse at St. John’s Riverside Hospital Dobbs Ferry Pavilion. “I began experiencing chest pains during a day out in NYC with my daughter, and drove myself back to Dobbs Ferry because I didn’t want to have to leave her alone in a waiting room in an unfamiliar city. Having access to care so close to home was critical, and local residents deserve to be able to receive the care they need in a familiar setting.”
“The state of healthcare today means some facilities need support to keep delivering the quality care their communities need,” said NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN, CNOR(e). “NYSNA’s priorities are clear: we support these partnerships as long as continuity of care for patients and dedicated healthcare worker jobs are protected.”
“The NYC Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO stands in solidarity with NYSNA nurses as they advocate for their patients, their colleagues, and the communities they serve,” said NYC CLC President Brendan Griffith. “As these hospitals consider significant changes, legislators and government agencies/officials must focus on actions that protect continuity of care, safe staffing, and access to quality healthcare. We’re proud to stand with nurses who are continuing to make sure those priorities are at the center of every decision.”
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The New York State Nurses Association represents approximately 45,000 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.