MAY 2018
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER
Lobby Day Energizes Nurses and Legislators NYSNA nurses had an incredible Lobby Day this year! More than 1,000 nurses got on the bus to speak out for safe staffing and quality healthcare for all,
Lobby day is always really energizing, but this year it felt like we had the momentum to win safe staffing. Our supporters in the legislature were with us 100%, and the recent news that Governor Cuomo supports safe staffing was tremendous.” - Kevin Donovan, RN and LBU President including more than a dozen Erie County Medical Center and Terrace View Long Term Care nurses. ECMC and TVLTC nurses met with several State Senators and Assembly Members who support safe staff-
ing. We also met with the staff of three Republican Assembly Members who were less supportive. It was clear that they had been hearing from hospital lobbyists, but they listened attentively and committed to bring our information back to the Assembly Members. With two months left in the legislative session, nurses plan to follow up with our elected officials and urge them to support safe staffing. We know that patient safety cannot wait—and with the combination of nurses’ loud, united voice and growing support from the Governor and legislators—we could soon be able to deliver the safe, high quality care that all New Yorkers deserve.
I Am Proud to Stand with the Men and Women in Our Hospitals and Support Safe Staffing Levels that Ensure the Highest Quality of Care” —Governor Andrew Cuomo issuing a directive to the state Department of Labor on April 15th to support safe staffing in New York’s hospitals.
WE ARE NURSES, WE ARE NYSNA!
facing. I’m interested in issues happening in healthcare now. I just had my one-year anniversary as a nurse, and I’m finishing my BSN. It was great to meet and talk with nurses who are more experienced.
Ask a Nurse On April 23, dozens of nurses from Western New York attended NYSNA’s annual Lobby Day. We followed up with two of those nurses who attended Lobby Day for the first time to ask them about their experiences.
Kristen: I recently transferred from TVLTC to ECMC. In my experience, ratios can be crazy, especially in longterm care! When I heard we were lobbying about safe staffing, I wanted to go. I had some info about the California law, and wanted to advocate for something like that in New York. I’ve been in a lot of scary situations. It’s almost traumatic and overwhelming to be understaffed on a day-to-day basis. But it’s also easily correctible to have the right staffing numbers. I hate to think of new nurses leaving the profession because of the staffing. Unsafe staffing hugely impacts nurses and patients.
Q: What would you say to NYSNA nurses who
have never been to Lobby Day, or any union event?
Q:
So what did you think of your first Lobby Corena: Lobby Day was exciting and inspiring and motivating. It made it more real to me that nurses should Day? Was it what you expected? Corena Christensen, RN, Terrace View Long Term Care Sub-Accute Unit: I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I felt well prepared, because we were really just telling them our experience and presenting information that is well researched. Some people in my group had really good stories, and we had a prep session where we talked about who would say what. It wasn’t as intimidating after the fact! It felt like our words fell on open ears. Kristen Almeter, RN, ECMC Medical-Surgical Telemetry Unit: It was my first time talking to an elected official. I think some elected officials get it more than others. I think people value nurses, but they don’t really understand what it’s like to be a nurse. They don’t understand the level of stress and importance that comes with having someone’s well being in your hands. Safe staffing comes down to being able to provide safe and appropriate care. It was an eye opening experience, because I don’t pay that much attention to local elections, but now I realize how important they are.
Q: Why did you decide to attend this year? Corena: In my facility, safe staffing is an issue that I’m
come together and unify as a team—I’m all about teamwork. We can be so loud and powerful when we come together. If someone complains about safe staffing or other issues, I would say, we need you! We’re the ones on the front lines. We should be influencing these policies. People might have misconceptions about what the union is all about. If they went to Lobby Day, they’d see that it’s not just something to fall back on, but it’s a catalyst to stand up for what we believe in and for our working conditions and patient conditions. Nurses have strong ethics—we can use the union as our voice on ethical issues. Kristen: It’s empowering to realize you’re part of a whole. That’s why I respect what the union stands for—it helps make my voice heard, and helps with the leadership aspect of profession. Especially since we’re working for a contract this year, we need leaders and a collective voice. In a union, there are protocols for members to take part and have issues addressed. As a professional organization, it’s a way we can uphold standards and integrity in nursing. Being a member of NYSNA is part of your career at ECMC. I would encourage anyone to come to Lobby Day or other NYSNA events to experience the energy and the power of being part of a union.
A Newsletter for NYSNA RNs at Erie County Medical Center
MAY 2018
ECMC Nurses Put the Excellence Back in Behavioral Health Erie County Medical Center is a Regional Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health, serving tens of thousands of patients each year from surrounding areas, including as far away as Rochester, Jamestown, Pennsylvania and Ontario. Although Behavioral Health is an integral part of ECMC, nurses felt that conditions in the department had not been given enough priority. There were major nurse retention problems, and the monthly Labor-Management safety meetings were becoming pro-forma, leaving nurses to be concerned for our own safety and the safety of our patients. “I’ve worked in most areas of this hospital, but I choose to work in behavioral health because that’s where my heart is,” says Jennifer Brinkworth, RN.
“Mental illness is not a choice—these patients deserve dignity and respect.” The Behavioral Health nurses set about improving conditions in the department. We worked with ECMC management to change the format of the Labor-Management meetings to begin addressing persistent, big picture problems in Behavioral Health. Fortunately, the Senior Vice President of Nursing is committed to taking Behavioral Health to the next level, and we have been very productive in working together toward our mutual goals. “We really drill down on all the issues in each meeting, tackling things like recruitment, retention, and the quality of care for our patients,” explained Jennifer. “Then we check back in on our progress in the next meeting. We are really getting things done and beginning to see the changes on the floor.” The new approach has yielded many positive changes, including: hiring new nurses, reintroducing a float pool, and bringing a full-time doctor in house for night and weekend shifts. Safe staffing, retention and morale have come a long way in a short time because of nurse advocacy. Jennifer adds, “We want more input from the nurses. We need to come together and support one another. We can accomplish even more when the administration sees that we have the backing of one another.” To get more involved, please email Jennifer ValentínPolanco at jennifer.valentin@nysna.org.
Know Your Rights! Under the Supreme Court’s Weingarten decision, when an investigatory interview occurs, the following rules apply:
RULE 1 The employee must make clear request for union representation before or during the interview. The employee cannot be punished for making this request.
RULE 2 After the employee makes the request, the Employer must choose from among three options. The Employer must either: •
Grant the request and delay questioning until the Union representative arrives and has a chance to consult privately with the employee; or
•
Deny the request and end the interview immediately; or
•
Give the employee a choice of (1) having the interview without representation or (2) ending the interview.
RULE 3 If the Employer denies the request for Union representation and continues to ask questions, it commits an unfair labor practice and the employee has a right to refuse to answer. The Employer may not discipline the employee for such a refusal.
UPCOMING EVENTS (For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep)
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BUFFALO PRIDE PARADE June 3, Buffalo
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SINGLE PAYER LOBBY DAY
June 5, Albany
Executive Committee Kevin Donovan, Vice Co-Chair, 7 Zone 4 Cathy Bystrak, Grievance Chair, 6 North Lynne Roland, Terrace View Co-Chair, Cazenovia Karen Green, Terrace View Vice Co-Chair, Supervisor Heather Scott, Secretary, Behavioral Health Clinics Raymond Rebmann, Membership Chair, 7 Zone 1 Elizabeth McRae, Terrace View Specialty, Mable Park Steve Bailey, Terrace View Specialty, Kensington Sarah Ott, Behavioral Health Specialty, 5 South Rachel Larkin, Behavioral Health Specialty, 5 South Katrina Reynolds, CPEP Specialty, CPEP Loretta Palermo, Emergency Dept. Specialty, ED Sarah Chmura, Med/ Surg Specialty, 8 North Shawntres Currin, Med/Surg Specialty, 7 Zone 2 Murnita Bennett, At-Large, Care Management
Floor Delegates
Stay connected: join our Facebook group! www.facebook.com/ groups/eriecountynysna/
Dana Brown, Anesthesiology Ann Dowdell, Care Management Shawn Mitchell, 5 North Alicia Geiss, PACU Shannon Mahar, 6 Zone 2 Matt Botticelli, 6 North Tara Hill, 9 Zone 3 Jennifer Greene, 9 Zone 3 Cynthia Dwyer, 7 Zone 1 Mackenzie DeCarlo, CPEP Ben Stanford, Delegate over all Unit Managers Maria Galante-Cichon, ASU Valeta Dunn, 8 Zone 1 Lee Barnett, OR Liam Morrissey, OR Chiqkena Collins, MICU Jennifer Brinkworth, 4 Zone 4 Sherry Thomas, PACU Delores Mitchell, TV Botanical Gardens Lisa Nowak, TV Canalside
If you’d like to join our leadership team, speak to a Delegate, or contact your Rep.
GET ANSWERS/STAY IN TOUCH Your NYSNA Representatives: Michael Graham michael.graham@nysna.org 716-467-0449 Jennifer Valentín-Polanco jennifer.valentin@nysna.org 716-445-6319 NYSNA Western NY Office: www.nysna.org, 716-204-8076 Dental benefit questions: www.Aetna.com, 877-238-6200 Prescription benefit questions: www.optumrx.com, 888-691-0130 For all other benefits: www.ASOnet.com, 888-692-7671
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