New York hospitals are facing criticism over nurse staffing levels, with concerns about patient safety and care. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has released a report accusing most hospitals of failing to follow a state law passed in 2021 meant to ensure adequate staffing. The report highlights that hospitals are not meeting required nurse-to-patient ratios, particularly in intensive and critical care. "I hear from our members in every part of the state that staffing continues to be a problem and the hospitals are not following the law," said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, as reported by Gothamist.
Despite legal requirements, efforts to properly staff hospitals with nurses have largely failed, with many hospitals not posting their staffing plans as required. According to the New York State Nurses Association website, an independent commission was supposed to report on this situation by the end of October, but the report has not been released. In place of this, NYSNA has gathered survey data and firsthand accounts from nurses, revealing widespread non-compliance. Hospitals were required to follow staffing plans starting in 2023, but enforcement has been weak, with thousands of complaints about violations.
New York's Department of Health spokesperson Cadence Acquaviva told Gothamist that there have been consultations and actions in response to the complaints. "The department will continue to enforce the law as necessary to ensure compliance, including enforcement against hospitals found to be in violation of the law," Acquaviva said. This includes 40 statements of deficiencies and fines levied against four hospitals.
The New York State Nurses Association report offers recommendations to improve not only staffing conditions but also transparency and accountability.
"Nurses do not want to come to work everyday and put their license in jeopardy and put their life patient's lives in jeopardy," Hagans told Gothamist.
Similarly, NYSNA nurse leader Jaimie Alaxanian expressed frustration to the association about the disregard for an agreed staffing plan at Albany Medical Center, "I take care of patients after they’ve had surgery, and my floor is staffed to the bare minimum. I’m on the hospital clinical staffing committee, and we’ve worked with administrators and submitted a plan to the DOH that outlines that the nurse-to-patient ratio on my unit shouldn’t exceed one nurse to five patients. The CEO keeps talking about this plan being such an accomplishment, but it’s not being implemented," in a release on New York State Nurses Association website.
While there have been a few instances where nurse staffing improved after intervention from the Department of Health, these cases are rare. Nurses have expressed relief when the Department of Health acknowledged their concerns, but these positive outcomes have not been widespread
