Nurses at Putnam Hospital gathered in Carmel on Monday evening for a town hall themed “Safe Staffing Saves Lives,” the latest escalation in a nearly year-long fight with Northwell Health over a new contract and enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios. The hospital's roughly 200 New York State Nurses Association-represented nurses have worked without a contract since it expired on December 31, nearly ten months ago, and they say patients are feeling the strain of chronic understaffing.
The town hall followed a nurse speak-out held in June 2026 and was organized by New York State Nurses Association members at Northwell Health/Putnam Hospital. According to NYSNA, the roughly 200 nurses are fighting for a contract that delivers safe staffing for quality patient care, and bargaining has dragged on since talks began last October. NYSNA represents approximately 45,000 members across New York State.
Nicole Cadella, president of the nurses' bargaining unit, said staffing problems have to be resolved in the contract itself and accused the hospital's parent system of dragging its feet. “Staffing issues must be addressed in the nurses' contract and Northwell seems to be stalling,” Cadella said, adding that patients can feel rushed during discharge after surgery when units are short-handed.
Understaffed Nearly Half the Time in December
Union figures describe a med/surg staffing crisis that predates the contract's expiration. Nurses in two medical-surgical units started their shifts understaffed nearly half the time in December, per NYSNA's account of conditions at the hospital. The union release notes the widely recognized safe-staffing standard in med/surg units is one nurse for five patients, while Putnam's current standard is one nurse for six — and that at a June 11 staffing committee meeting, hospital executives proposed an even thinner ratio of one nurse for every eight patients, which NYSNA called outrageous and unsafe.
Nurses at Putnam Hospital, the only hospital in Putnam County, have resigned over what they describe as impossible workloads, and some are sometimes going without breaks late in the day or not at all because there isn't enough staff on the floor, according to Mid Hudson News.
At the Putnam Press Times, nurse Melissa Hendrickson described how high patient census combined with call-outs leaves units without enough hands to safely manage care. “Sometimes they are staying two hours late just to catch up on their work,” Hendrickson said.
A Petition With Over 1,000 Names
A state senator joined nurses at a speak-out over the dispute. Nurses called for safe staffing and a fair contract.
Community support has also mobilized around the dispute: more than 1,000 community members have signed a petition calling on Northwell to settle a fair contract for the nurses. Nurses allege that Northwell has repeatedly ignored their input on establishing and maintaining staffing guidelines meant to ensure safe staffing and better patient outcomes. The union notes that Northwell was pursuing Magnet Accreditation — described as the highest credential a hospital can receive for nursing excellence and quality patient care — at Putnam and several other hospitals, but NYSNA nurses say they do not support the hospital's Magnet application given the ongoing staffing issues and Northwell's refusal, as they describe it, to settle a contract with enforceable safe-staffing ratios.
Nurses contend that Northwell can afford to put enforceable staffing standards for Putnam Hospital in writing. A Northwell spokesperson did not respond Monday evening, per Mid Hudson News's report.
Hospital Points to Prior Commitment on Care
Putnam Hospital emphasizes quality, patient-centered care.
Nurses at other Northwell facilities have secured gains after similar standoffs. Newsday reported that nurses at Northwell's Huntington, Plainview and Syosset hospitals ratified new contracts after representatives reached the agreements on January 10. The contracts included roughly 5% raises in each of the three contract years and improved staffing standards, though Northwell's flexible staffing model remained in place. Those nurses had authorized a strike if no deal was reached by a December 31 deadline, according to NYSNA's account of that dispute. Putnam Hospital Center's earlier contract, reported by Patch, included a 3% raise upon ratification followed by 4% raises in each remaining year, along with a process intended to ensure patients receive the quality care they need.
New York's state staffing plans include a role for the Department of Health in enforcement.
