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The current strike of 15,000 nurses who are members of the New York State Nurses Association should be supported by everyone in the city. As a healthcare worker I can testify that the shortage of nurses is bad for a patient’s health. But it was as a patient that I felt it more directly. And I also know there is a solution.
I had to go to the Emergency Room at a large hospital in the city because of an asthma attack. I had to get an extra shot of epinephrine to breathe properly. The reason was that I was not monitored properly and my dosage of Alupent treatment given me ran out.
My breathing became worse. When a nurse finally came in to check me, I was in distress again and had to get a second shot of epinephrine. This drug puts strain on your heart so a heart attack is not out of the question.
I found out later that there was only one nurse on duty in the Emergency Room per shift. She had so many patients to monitor that I must have slipped under the radar.
Another time was when I went in for a simple blood pressure test requested by my primary doctor. I waited two hours before it was done. My pressure was through the roof since I was so angry.
Turns out there was only one nurse in the clinic doing all the work required plus the tests. Wait times are a major patient complaint. Workers at the hospital complain about it too since the patients direct their anger at them. At times, things can get violent.
The nurses are right to demand safe staffing levels by increasing staffing. It will cost money. But lives are at stake. A solution is to tax these giant private, non-profit hospitals with their CEOs and other high-level staff getting multi-million-dollar salaries where the nurses are striking.
These institutions make vast amounts of money from rich donors, government funded programs like Medicaid and Medicare, grants, and Cadillac insurance plans. But they pay no income and property taxes.
Taxes on their income and/or property while reducing CEO salaries can generate the money to pay for more nurses! If the heads of smaller community safety net hospitals and the city’s large public hospital system CEOs can live comfortably enough while not making anything close to what these administrators of large institutions make, then what is the reason for these non-profit CEOs to make such excessive pay?
Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that nearly one-quarter of nonprofit hospitals receive more in tax exemptions than they provide in community services.
A decade ago, State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick authored legislation in Albany that would have limited the salaries of these hospital empire’s CEOs. It went nowhere thanks to them using millions of dollars to lobby against it. Nurses deserve a living wage.
Now with the Trump administration reclassifying nurses as no longer being professionals, their salaries have become a target. I have a teenage family member who wants to become a non-physician healthcare worker who now doesn’t think she can afford to do it. Recruitment of nurses would be easier if they were paid better.
To claim that the nurses are asking for too much pay and that the safe staffing levels negotiated in their last contract two years ago should be ended is absurd. Equally absurd is to spend millions of dollars on AI buildings and develop AI to replace nurses. As a patient I want a human to take care of me and not a robot.
These big institutions are spending millions of dollars trying to break the strike while collecting their outrageously high salaries. Why can’t they afford to meet the demands for patient safety and a living wage for healthcare workers like nurses?
Ralph Palladino
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wpeakes
I couldn't agree more! Nurses are the backbone of every healthcare facility, system in this country and deserve working conditions that respects their professionalism and responds to their concerns. Reasonable staffing levels and adequate compensation are essential to the recruiting and retention of individuals interested in this vital position.
Tuesday, January 20 Report this
Admin
They'd rather spend the money on outrageous salaries for their executives and on lobbying against limiting those salaries than on good wages for nurses and hiring enough nurses to provide adequate care. This is evil and in this country the most evil people, if they are white, male and rich, usually don't go to jail. Perfect example, look who's in the White House.
Wednesday, January 21 Report this
DOTHERIGHTTHING
The Mayor & Sanders came to support & rally for protection of the Nurses earned healthcare besides a raise. Rightly so………………………………………………………….
Why doesn't the Mayor(SANDERS) Rally/Support for the Protection Of NYC Medicare Retirees Earned Healthcare Stolen by the unions? Bankrupted the Healthcare Stabilization Fund to fund Active Raise$! SHAME ON THEM ALL!
Why doesn't the UFT/DC37 owned Mayor urge the NYC Council(Also owned by UFT/DC37)/Albany(AFL-CIO Owned Mulgrew on board) to stop blocking & pass a bill to protect NYC Medicare Retirees Earned Healthcare?
Good Luck to the Nurses/NYC Medicare Retirees!
Friday, January 23 Report this