NYS DOH RELEASES STUDY ON STAFFING!

Eight months after it was due to be released, the NY Department of Health has finally released it's Safe Staffing report, about which many of our members testified, sent emails, and made phonecalls late last year. Please read District 1's full statement on the report below:

We are incredibly disappointed with the staffing study the Department of Health shamefully released on a Friday night in August. This study adds further insult to injury to all the healthcare heroes who, just months after fighting in the trenches against a global pandemic, are desperate for the State to take decisive action to address the dangerous and urgent crisis of staffing in our healthcare facilities.

CWA District 1 remains committed to fighting for statewide mandated staffing ratios in hospitals and nursing homes. Despite a year of hearings, testimony, calls, emails and rallies, the DOH has released a report that completely ignores the reality of frontline healthcare workers. As the COVID-19 crisis has painfully shown us, adequate staffing can mean the difference between life and death. If implemented uniformly throughout New York, safe staffing would improve patient outcomes, save lives, and increase New York’s capacity to respond to future public health emergencies. We will continue to fight for a safer, healthier, and more just New York.