A patients’ rights group has warned that a nurses’ strike in New York City could result in potentially fatal medical errors.
More than 7,000 nurses at two major hospitals in Manhattan and the Bronx went on strike today over pay and staffing shortages.
The move forced Mount Sinai and Montefiore hospitals to halt operations and move critically ill people – including 13 vulnerable newborns – to other wards.
Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the National Patient Advocacy Foundation, warned that more “medical errors” are likely to occur as a result of the strike. She added that moving critically ill patients is “never ideal” as it puts stress on the body.
A chronically ill woman – Sierra Romero, 25, underwent surgery to remove a painful abscess in her abdomen, which was canceled just 30 minutes before the scheduled procedure at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Thousands of nurses called out at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx to protest wage and staff shortages. In the photo: Nurses protest early this morning in front of Mount Sinai
Sierra Romero (25) (pictured)’s surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital was canceled just 30 minutes before the scheduled date due to the strikes
Ms Romero told DailyMail.com: “I’ve been told to keep preparing, just in case. I got a call from my doctor last night and he said don’t eat or drink after midnight if we can do the operation .
“But he called again at 06:30 and said: ‘Sorry, we can’t do it. We will talk to you as soon as we have nurses and we can reschedule.
“They can’t even reschedule the appointment because they don’t even know what nursing is going to be like next week. My surgery was scheduled for 7am today!’
Ms. Romero suffers from Crohn’s disease, a chronic condition that causes her intestines to become inflamed and the tissues in her digestive tract to swell.
She said the delay in her surgery raised concerns that her abscess could become infected and make treatment more difficult.
Thousands of nurses went on strike today and joined the strike in New York. One held a pizza that read ‘patients over pepperoni’, while another had a picture of Marie Antoinette with the phrase ‘let them eat pizza’. The pizzas refer to parties organized for nurses when they complain about being overworked
Pizza-themed protest signs abounded during Monday morning’s protests, referencing the pizza parties thrown for nurses when they complain too much at work
A blow-up rat is seen among NYSNA nurses who went on strike Monday in protest over pay and staffing
Ms Donovan said care for more patients could be disrupted if the strikes were not “resolved as soon as possible”.
“We already know that vulnerable patients, including cancer patients, and babies have had to be moved from one hospital to another, and that is never ideal,” she said.
“The transport exposes them to germs that increase the risk of infection. It can also put a strain on the body itself.”
She added: “We also have very high rates of medical malpractice in the US, causing about 100,000 deaths annually.
‘[This could rise] because new nurses may not be very familiar with the patients themselves and wards may be very understaffed.
“We care about the patients. We just hope that the strike will come to an end as soon as possible.”
In recent years, a growing number of nurses in the US have gone on strike because their contracts have expired, citing disputes over pay and working conditions.
To deal with the New York strikes, hospital executives were offered a 19.1 percent pay raise over three years, as well as $51,000 in cash compensation and $19,500 in medical benefits.
Basse also promised to hire more nurses, including 170 more in Montefiore alone.
But nurses rejected the proposals in back-to-back talks last night and took to the picket line today.
Neither side currently appears ready to return to the negotiating table.
The New York City Nurses Association released a statement last night accusing hospital administrators of “causing this crisis by failing to hire, train and upgrade nurses while simultaneously indulging in excessive compensation packages.”
Meanwhile, hospitals in Mount Sinai reportedly distributed leaflets to the picket line this morning, accusing nurses of “reckless behavior” and leaving patients at their bedsides.
In the days before the strike, paramedics began transferring critically ill patients to other units unaffected by the action.
They also discharged all patients for whom it was safe to do so.
As of today, doctors have also started canceling operations and telling patients they will be postponed.
Cancer and heart patients were affected by the cancellations, with some sent to other hospitals for treatment.
Nurses heading to the picket line this morning waved signs saying nurses “care about the community” and “we demand a safe staff-patient relationship”.
Some protesters also carried a sign reading “Patients over pepperoni” and a photo of France’s Queen Marie Antoinette with the phrase “Let them eat pizza,” referring to pizza parties organized for employees when they complained about working conditions . A nurse also dressed as a rat.
Hospitals in New York City were already under pressure due to the “triplemia” of Covid, flu and RSV, which increased the number of patients in their hospitals.
There are also concerns about Covid’s “Kraken” variant XBB.1.5, with New York City as one of the emerging hotspots.
Another patient affected by the strikes at Montefiore Hospital also took to Twitter to call on officials to return to the negotiating table.
She wrote: “I was asked to go to my appointment today which I have been waiting for over four months.
“It was initially postponed due to a phone call and was only canceled this morning.
“Hire more nurses! They are overworked and have been working non-stop, especially because of Covid and now our ‘triple disease’.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams called on both sides to end the strike.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
