NY Nurse: October 2021

nurse New York

New york state edition | october 2021

A Deep Dive into the Crisis at Rikers Island

pp. 5-7

the real reason nurses are leaving the profession, p. 14

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New York Nurse october 2021

By Nancy Hagans, RN NYSNA President

Advocating for patients. Advancing the profession.SM Board of Directors President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN nancy.hagans@nysna.org First Vice President Judith Cutchin, RN, MSN judith.cutchin@nysna.org Second Vice President Marion Enright, RN marion.enright@nysna.org Secretary Nella Pineda-Marcon, RN, BC nella.pineda-marcon@nysna.org Treasurer Jayne L. Cammisa, RN, BSN jayne.cammisa@nysna.org Directors at Large Matt Allen, RN, BSN matt.allen@nysna.org Reginalt Atangan, RN reginalt.atangan@nysna.org Marie Boyle, RN, BSN marie.boyle@nysna.org Seth B. Dressekie, RN, MSN, PMHNP, BC seth.dressekie@nysna.org Flandersia Jones, RN, BSN, MPH flandersia.jones@nysna.org Michelle Jones, RN, MSN, ANP-C michelle.jones@nysna.org Sonia M. Lawrence, RN, BSN sonia.lawrence@nysna.org Benny K. Mathew, RN, MS, CCRN, CEN, SCRN benny.mathew@nysna.org Ari Moma, RN, MSA ari.moma@nysna.org Jean Erica Padgett, RN jean.padgett@nysna.org Regional Directors Southeastern Bruce Lavalle, RN bruce.lavalle@nysna.org Southern Aretha Morgan, RN aretha.morgan@nysna.org Catherine Dawson,RN,CNOR,MSN Central catherine.dawson@nysna.org

Lower Hudson/NJ Cynthia Caruso, RN cynthia.caruso@nysna.org Western Steven Bailey, RN steven.bailey@nysna.org Eastern Bill Schneider, RN, CCRN

bill.schneider@nysna.org Editor Jennifer R. Farmer Executive Editor Pat Kane, RN, CNOR Executive Director Editorial offices located at: 131 W 33rd St., New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-785-0157 Email: communications@nysna.org Website: www.nysna.org Subscription rate: $33 per year ISSN (Print) 1934-7588/ISSN (Online) 1934-7596 ©2021, All rights reserved

Albany Lobby Day, March 2020

Impact Bargaining Followed Vaccine Mandates

Nurses Bargain for Exemptions and More

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fter former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Dr. Howard Zucker, New York State Health Department commissioner, announced statewide vaccine mandates, NYSNA issued demands to bargain and requests for additional information. We also pursued a range of options to protect patients and caregivers. As we move through this next phase, we want to outline the steps we have and are taking to protect your interests and keep patients safe.

It goes without saying that nurses enter the profession because we care. We enjoy caring for our community, including being there in our community’s greatest hour of need.

But nursing also allows us to care for ourselves and our friends and loved ones who rely on us. Most of our members are women, and the majority are working mothers.

We know that everything we do impacts not just us but the people who love us. There is nothing about

the past few years that has been easy, which is why we have pursued the vaccine mandate with urgency and concern.

As soon as the vaccine mandates were announced, NYSNA notified employers of our plan to demand impact bargaining and our need for more information. Through impact bargaining, we secured several wins, including a “consideration period” that allows nurses who did not elect to be vaccinated by the deadline to be put on unpaid administrative leave while the employer and the caregiver determine next steps. Employees would still retain health benefits during that period.

Exemptions We also expanded the conditions whereby exemptions would be considered and granted. Initially employers said that there would be few exemptions and that employees who received exemptions would not be allowed on the employer’s property. At least eight of the hos-

pitals we work with have now said they will offer exemptions and that, in some cases, health care workers who receive exemptions would be granted an accommodation to continue working.

Certainly, as health care workers, we understand the immense risk COVID-19 presents to the community, including to health care workers and patients. We bear witness to the truth that over 90% of hospital patients with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. We strongly believe in the science and efficacy of these vaccines. We are not opposed to the vaccine mandate if all other measures that directly address the virus’s spread are enacted.

Our Work Continues We are concerned that hospital systems will implement vaccine mandates without addressing ventilation issues, personal protective equipment shortages and other aspects that permit the spread of the virus. A comprehensive plan is needed to eradicate the COVID-19 global pandemic, and we are urging employers and regulators to finally pay attention to our demands along with the vaccines.

We know this issue is of utmost importance to NYSNA members.

We will continue to aggressively negotiate on your behalf.

NEW YORK NURSE

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october 2021

Marking the Moment, Anticipating the Future

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know this communication reaches you at a precarious time. Nationally, there are rising concerns about the delta variant and fear that the return to normalcy we anticipated this summer is a long way off.

Across the country, there’s anxiety over the safety of children and young adults returning to school.

Locally, there’s intense focus on the impact of the vaccine mandate on nurses, patients, and health care systems already stressed with short staffing.

In some bargaining units, there are new contracts to celebrate while in others, there are upcoming contracts to bargain. Either way, we are in a unique moment with multiple issues competing for our time and attention. Given this reality, I do not take your indulgence in this communication lightly. I do not take your involvement in your union for granted either. While you could have easily checked out, you have checked in.

Acknowledge the Past There is no question that the past year has been filled with challenges; both professional and personal.

Many of us have faced things that we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago: treating patients in a worldwide pandemic, dealing with understaffing and staff departures entirely, identifying alternative care for children as schools temporarily closed their doors, etc.

Despite a bruising and intense period, we are still here. We are still fighting. We are still trying. We are still hoping. That in and of itself is cause for celebration.

More importantly, some of the things we have spent years organizing for, are finally coming to fruition. The safe staffing law didn’t emerge out of thin air. You spent years organizing, rallying, calling elected leaders, showing up to insist on a baseline staffing law. Our work is not finished, but we are further than when we started. Sure, the present moment is tense. But if we vow to continue moving forward, we will impact change.

As we process all that we have overcome, we must not lose sight of the future. We have an incredible opportunity before us. With a new crop of elected leaders who appear interested in addressing the needs of labor, our communities may finally get what they need to thrive.

If President Biden’s Build Back Better Act passes, the nation would see the most expansive investment in the social safety net that has been seen in 50 years. There would be a real shot at improving Medicare, childcare assistance, paid family and medical leave, education, living wage jobs, and action on the climate emergency.

Separately, if we continue our advocacy with local, state and federal officials, we will be better positioned to get what we, our patients and communities need. We have begun cultivating a relationship with U.S. Senators.

Kristin Gillibrand, Majority Leader Charles Schumer, and allies in U.S. House of Representatives. We are doing this not to rub elbows with the powerful; but to ensure our issues are front and center.

All of this demonstrates an important lesson: our fights matter. They require a lot of time and effort. But we can see progress.

For instance, our highest levels of government have put forth an agenda to rebuild our communities.

They are responding to the pleas of ordinary people, and we have been on the ground helping to amplify those voices. Locally, our organizing around the crisis at Rikers Island is finally gaining momentum with local and state officials finally beginning to take action to address the inhumane conditions there.

Look to the Future As we head into the final quarter of the year, I invite you to take stock of where we are and where we are going. But I hope you’ll do this in the company of your union siblings. You can do this by joining me and your fellow members at NYSNA’s annual convention.

While the convention is virtual, there is an in-person option at the

Sheraton Times Square. This year’s theme is “Together We Rise: United for Our Patients, Our Practice, and a Just Recovery for All.”

What You Can Expect A big part of the workshops leading up to convention focused on creating staffing committees and the tools we’ll need to implement the landmark staffing legislation NYSNA helped to pass earlier this year. We also offered a series of workshops to help sharpen members’ skillsets and better position you for the fights we’ll face in the coming months.

Our convention is where our delegates will set a blueprint for actions we will take together as a union. As of this writing, or reading if this publication is in your hands, NYSNA’s Board of Directors is reviewing a host of resolutions that were submitted by delegates. The resolutions will be considered by our larger delegate body, and include a broad range of topics that affect nursing practice, working conditions, collective bargaining, public policy and the health of the communities we serve. The high level of engagement demonstrated by their submissions is a powerful testament to the passion and commitment of our elected leaders and delegate body. This is the kind of energy we must carry with us in the days to come. Of course, this is a marathon not a sprint.

Given all that we have faced— losing friends and loved ones to COVID-19, understaffing, health and safety concerns, social injustice, and hospital unit closures—it is understandable that many healthcare professionals may be worn down. But collective action, unity and unrelenting hope for the future will carry us through. There is no question that we must heal from the trauma of the past few years. But it is easier to do that when we remain united. I look forward to remaining in this work with each of you. I also look forward to celebrating and strategizing with you at convention.

Thank you being, and staying, on this journey.

By Pat Kane, RN NYSNA Executive Director

United for Our Patients, Our Practice, and a Just Recovery for All

Source https://www.whitehouse.gov/buildback-better/

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New York Nurse october 2021

Meet Your Board Members Cynthia Lena, RN

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or the next several editions of New York Nurse Magazine, we will highlight NYSNA board members. In this first installment, meet Cynthia Lena.

Cynthia is a registered nurse and a new member of the NYSNA Board of Directors. She works at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, NY. Cynthia has been a nurse for more than 13 years, and has been active with NYSNA for most of that time.

What is on her mind: “The vaccine mandate has made things 1000 times harder. People who are passionate about their right to choose, have left the bedside or have been forced to leave the bedside. When I started emer-

gency nursing, we were at a 3 to 1 ratio. On any given day, I’m at a 6 or 7 to 1 ratio. If we do a surge capacity, it can go up to 10 to 1.

If you are doing triage in an emergency room, it can be 40 to 1. It is scary. Right now, nurses need to lean on each other. They need to reach out and let someone know, hey I’m not doing okay today, I’m not doing okay right now. They should not feel like they’re a burden or like they have no one to lean on.

I told a friend to pick up the phone and call me if she feels overwhelmed or helpless. I do feel that some people feel its stigmatizing to reach out and ask for help. It is our job to help ensure our colleagues are taken care of.”

Cynthia Lena, RN

“I told a friend to pick up the phone and call me if she feels overwhelmed or helpless.”

Sonia Lawrence, RN

M

eet Sonia Lawrence, RN, and member of the NYSNA Board of Directors. For 24 years she has been a critical care nurse.

She has worked at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx for 27 years.

What is on her mind Sonia is passionate about raising awareness about the role staffing shortages play in health disparities: “As a safety net hospital in the South Bronx, one of the busiest Emergency Room departments in the country, we are experiencing a profound nursing shortage. Nurses from the day shift are now supplementing the night shift which will ultimately result in nurse burn out. It will further deplete resources and quality care and lead to a total collapse of services. What do these conditions

Sonia Lawrence, RN

say about health care resources allocated to underserved communities?

In upscale communities a 90-yearold with multiple comorbidity and access to quality health care survives

COVID and goes home. In the South Bronx an otherwise healthy 18-yearold contracts COVID, and dies. This speaks volumes about the disparities in health care.”

“Nurses from the day shift are now supplementing the night shift which will ultimately result in nurse burn out.”

a deep dive

NEW YORK NURSE

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october 2021

The Crisis at Rikers

By Peppur Chambers, Contributor

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hen NYSNA member Alicia Butler, RN, arrived for work at Rikers Island on August 2, 2020, she wasn’t expecting to become a patient herself that day, but that is exactly what happened.

A registered nurse with nineteen years at Rikers, no amount of her training could have prepared her for the trauma she experienced that day. Butler was sitting at her desk with just one other aid in the mental health unit located within one of two inmate housing areas when an inmate, with whom she’d had no out-of-the-ordinary experiences in the past, calmly reached over the half-door, unlatched the lock and entered the space. “He said no words as he was entering. Said no word the entire time,” Butler shared. The man started hitting her violently, physically assaulting her. She doesn’t remember what happened during the attack except that her glasses flew off her face.

Somehow, she can recall officers coming and getting the man off her and then, finding and retrieving her glasses. Medical emergency was called, she was taken out by stretcher and cared for in the clinic by a doctor with whom she’d worked alongside for most of her career. “Everyone was very comforting to me. It was so personal to be cared for by the caring.”

Wounded at Work Suffering multiple abrasions to her arms, face and legs, Ms. Butler has also endured multiple surgeries and treatments for her knees and hips. She has not been able to physically work since.

According to an New York Times article, 2021 was the deadliest year in New York City Jails since 2015. Rikers Island has had ten deaths alone. Safety at Rikers, a top issue for Butler and the other 230 registered nurses there, has plummeted for all staff, but specifically for nurses.

Once known as “The City’s Island of the Damned” and now known as “Horror Island”, it is no secret that Rikers Island is in crisis.

As New York state’s largest jail complex, Rikers Island itself is over 400 acres and includes ten different facilities with up to 10,000 detainees per day. The facility is designed to hold those who have not yet been convicted and are awaiting trial as well as those who have been convicted and are serving shorter sentences. Detainees housed at Rikers include men, women and adolescents. Of course, many people were oblivious to the treatment of youth at the facility until the tragic suicide of Kalief Browder who was held at the facility for three years without being convicted of a crime. Browder described being beaten by detainees and guards. His case gained national attention, but it was not enough to heal the trauma he’d experienced while there.

measures to stop things from happening. When action is finally taken, it is reactive. It’s not enough!

It’s not preventative.”

Pressley points to recent and escalating safety concerns, “There is only one officer in the clinic while patients are seeing clinical staff and they’re not even in sight of the patient. They can attack,” she explains. Due to lack of staffing,

Troubled History Rikers has been plagued with violence for decades. In 2017, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio backed a 10-year plan to close Rikers. As recent as mid-September, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Governor Kathy Hochul began releasing and relocating detainees under legislation implementation like the Less is More Act. However, Butler says this is the wrong focus. “They are not addressing the safety issue.

They are clouding and preventing the clear issue, which is nurses in an unsafe environment. This is unheard of in any other environment. It’s not okay. Leadership and city hall need to make a paramount goal, they need to make it safe for us and not continue to dance around the issue.”

Nadyne Pressley, a thirteenyear RN veteran at Rikers, and NYSNA member says, “It started getting worse these past couple years, but we’ve always had safety problems.” From simple, yet highly important requests like locks being changed, there is no rapid action, no reaction to requests to the Department of Corrections (DOC). Instead, there are meetings, and emails sent with no immediate response, leaving issues to be addressed months after occurring.

If at all. She adds, “There are no

“Patients end up lingering in the clinic and that’s the major problem.” Pressley says this leaves her looking over shoulder constantly.

Butler is fighting back. And she’s not alone. At a recent testimony before New York City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee where she represented 43,000 registered nurses across the state, she stated, “We have seen a lack of accountability from DOC and NYC Health+Hospitals regarding conditions in our city jails. The number of detainees is growing while staffing shortages create a constant crisis mode for all workers, including our nurses.”

Safety First Butler has been on medical leave since her attack. This incident has made her more active in her Local Bargaining Unit (LBU). She sites this as being therapeutic because as she says, “I still have a purpose.” That purpose has become to get nurses to speak up, to use their voices. “We can’t wait for the worst thing to happen, or for it to be you before we speak up.

Because tomorrow it could be. Find your voice, advocate and advocate loudly.” Butler adds, “We keep our problems to ourselves or our immeContinued on page 14

Sources https://www.nytimes. com/2021/09/27/nyregion/ rikers-island-esias-johnson. html?searchResultPosition=1 https://www.newsweek.com/ rikers-jail-population-has-beenreduced-400-since-lawmakers-horrorisland-visit-1634748 https://www.ny1.com/nyc/allboroughs/politics/2021/10/01/ rikers-island-nyc-crisis-bill-de-blasionot-releasing-detainees-why https://www.archives.nyc/ blog/2019/3/21/the-birth-life-andmaybe-death-of-rikers-island https://www.nytimes. com/2017/04/02/nyregion/rikersisland-jail-closure-plan.html https://www.fordham.edu/download/ downloads/id/14783/mcdonald_ rikers_island.pdf

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New York Nurse october 2021

NYSNA Members Speak Out on Crisis at Rikers

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n this edition of New York Nurse, we asked four members whose combined work at Rikers Correctional Center totals 75 years to share their perspective and experience. You’ll hear from Constance Clark, Gene Thomas, Paulette McGee and Nadyne Pressley, all registered nurses at the facility. Their dedication to quality care is exceptional, as they have remained on the job in spite of understaffing, persistent violence and other hardships. Each says, however, that conditions at the city jail are the worst they have ever seen. New York Nurse asked them to describe those conditions. Their accounts are heartbreaking, but must be shared.

“I See Lost Souls” Paulette McGee, RN

Paulette McGee, RN

Constance Clark, RN

I

have been at Rikers for 21 years, and the last 8 have been in the mental health unit.

I see lost souls. The system has failed them.

We help detainees gain insight into their mental illness and teach the importance of medication compliance.

When they leave us, there is nothing for them. Some say, ‘I’m not going, I have nowhere to go.’

This helps explain the high recidivism.

This has been hard work but very rewarding. They need a compassionate, empathetic, and caring nurse. I thought about leaving, but I knew in my heart I made a difference.

“They Are the Forgotten Ones” Constance Clark, RN

I Nadyne Pressley, RN

Gene Thomas, RN

have been on the job at Rikers for 12 years. Rikers overall is in a state of utter confusion.

Understaffing exists in every department of nurses and other staff. The place is a disaster—the worst I have ever seen. It is a sinking ship.

Detainees arrive at Intake and are sometimes lost there for two or three days. Detainees become our patients when they are identified with mental health illness and are sent to my unit, housing 17 or 18 patients. But delays are common due to lack off staff; sometimes mentally ill patients are mistakenly sent to housing for the general population where they may be prone to violence or the objects of violence.

Some of my patients suffer from what’s called “Post Traumatic Brain Injury” from blows to the head.

There is no facility for this condition at Rikers.

Detainees are assessed for mental illness and as patients are to remain in the unit for up to 30 days. But some are here with us for three or four YEARS! They are “the forgotten ones.”

To me, it seems that patients are suddenly diagnosed with COVID. I wonder, ‘How did he get here in this condition?’ Our COVID care needs parameter. The Rikers administration does not have a handle on it.

As a nurse, I am nurturing and try to respect patients with the hope that they understand that I want to take care of them. My hope is that there will be more attention to Rikers, more empowerment of mental health staff, more cohesion and transparency. I like what Governor Hochul did. That›s a very good sign.

“It is Not Easy.”

Nadyne Pressley, RN

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have worked at Rikers for 13 years. Most of that time was spent at Intake clinics, but I transferred to URGI Care in the West Facility, where we treat things like wounds, injuries and lacerations that cannot be treated in the building where detainees are housed. We also care for COVID19 patients.

There is more COVID-19 now.

Patients are being housed all together and when we have a positive patient, often there is no place to immediately isolate that patient.

Through the course of the day, we may have more positives but there is a lack of corrections officers to isolate the patients appropriately and a lack of places to send them.

After treating a patient, I have witnessed them being sent to housing, only to come back the same day.

There must be more arrests because we’re seeing more patients.

There are staffing issues across the board: RNs, as evidenced by the POAs; medical staff, as evidenced by patients not being seen in a timely manner; and the correction officers, as evidenced by incidents of assaults and other safety issues—all on the rise.

To me, it feels out of control.

Safety is a constant problem. How can we control the patients, provide healthcare safely and not be abused? It is not easy.

“There Are Not Enough of Us to Keep Up With The Need.”

Gene Thomas, RN

T

he detainees who arrive at Rikers sometimes have been waiting on the prison bus for three to five hours. Some need emergency detox or insulin right away. In the Holding Area it is ‘normal’ to stay there for four or five days, and they are packed in like sardines. The over-crowding is so severe that some detainees circumvent the medical clinic where I work because we are so backed up. If they miss their medical evaluation, we have no idea of their condition, and then they go to a housing unit without us knowing.

There are more COVID-19 cases now than last year. Detainees may come to the Hold Area testing negative, but during the time they are held they are exposed to people who are positive. In the last two months I have seen more COVID infections than at any time and it is tied to time spent in the Holding Area.

It does not help that some COs [Corrections Officers] bring detainees who are not wearing masks to the medical clinic. I often have to say to them, ‘Put on your mask!’

Detainees brought to the medical clinic are dropped off and remain there without security. They roam around, pick up the telephone...

When we feel threatened.

There are not enough of us to keep up with the need.

a deep dive

NEW YORK NURSE

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october 2021

NYSNA Member Alicia Butler, RN, Delivers Impassioned Plea for Safe and Effective Staffing

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ays after a group of legislators toured Rikers Island and called conditions there inhumane, and after NYSNA member Alicia Butler testified before New York City Council on conditions there, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Less Is More Community Supervision and Revocation Reform Act. The measure was sponsored by New York State Assemblywoman Phara Souffrant Forrest and Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin when he was in the New York state Senate. The bill modifies the standard of evidence when determining whether

My name is Alicia Butler, I am a registered nurse working at New York City Health+Hospitals Correctional Health ServicesRikers Island for 19 years. I am a member of the New York State Nurses Association which represents over 43,000 registered nurses across the state. Thank you, Chair Keith Powers and this Committee, for holding this hearing on the conditions in our city jails.

First, I want to speak to the paramount issue of safety concerns. We have staffing shortages throughout Rikers. With an estimated 2,000 officers out on leave, workers are not safe doing their jobs. Those remaining officers on duty must work triple shifts. The tremendous staffing shortages cause delays and prevent patients from receiving the health care services they need, including mental health services.

Just visualize, if you would, an “intake unit,” detainees first exposure to Rikers. It is a pen with benches and no place to sleep. Yet detainees may spend up to three nights in the pen, and with limited food and water. Recently, a pen housed 47 detainees, far more than maximum capacity.

Delays are common and any obstacle in examining detainees robs nurses of critical time needed for treatment—for COVID-19,

to revoke community supervision of a person on parole. Due to a collaboration with the Department of Corrections, the measure also allows incarcerated individuals who have been sentenced to at least 90 days to be transferred from Rikers to New York state correctional facilities. At least 191 people will be released from Rikers due to the law.

We Seek Safety Citing the importance of safe and effective staffing, NYSNA applauded the move. “Safe staffing protects health care professionals, patients, correctional officers and detain-

ees,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans. “Although union members organized, rallied and won a baseline safe staffing law for hospitals and nursing care facilities, we cannot call our work complete until staffing is addressed at correctional facilities.”

NYSNA member Alicia Butler, a registered nurse who has worked at New York City Health+Hospitals Correctional Health ServicesRikers Island for 19 years, elaborated on inadequate staffing at Rikers during testimony before New York City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee. Her unedited remarks are below. leads to altercations by inmates with nurses and other staff. Nurses at the mental health unit feel unsafe and unprotected. We are very vulnerable in these conditions.

Alicia Butller, RN

diabetes, cardiac conditions and other serious illnesses.

Between July and September of 2020, the self-injury rate for inmates nearly doubled that of the previous quarter. We had over 500 incidents of inmates hurting themselves between April and June 2021. Needless to say, there is a mental health crisis amongst inmates that needs immediate attention. But access to that care is routinely denied. The fact is that patients are unsupervised and this

We have seen a lack of accountability from DOC and NYC Health+Hospitals regarding conditions in our city jails. The number of detainees is growing while staffing shortages create a constant crisis mode for all workers, including our nurses.

While nurses continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Delta variant, threats of violence are a daily occurrence.

Acts of violence against nurses have led to serious injuries and palpable fear. Nurses have become victims in an unsafe environment, where chaos reigns.

I myself am currently recovering from an attack at Rikers that required surgery.

We seek—and I quote: “a safe and effective solution for colleagues who face great personal risk simply by fulfilling their professional duties. Staff works under fear of losing their lives or being assaulted and in fear for their health and safety every shift.”

We implore the city to take action to protect patients and staff in our correctional facilities.

Thank you for your time today.

“It is a pen with benches and no place to sleep. Yet detainees may spend up to three nights in the pen, and with limited food and water.”

Alicia Butler, RN

SOURCES https://www.newyorker.com/news/ news-desk/kalief-browder-1993-2015 https://www.nydailynews. com/new-york/nyc-crime/ ny-rikers-death-mom-suicidecouncil-de-blasio-20210916dwybidgozrfodigpv3dvn4dz2q-story. html https://www.nytimes. com/2021/09/15/nyregion/rikersisland-jail.html https://newyork.cbslocal. com/2021/09/18/hochul-nearly-200people-to-be-released-from-rikersunder-less-is-more-act/

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New York Nurse october 2021

Nonviolent Medicaid Army Comes to Mount Vernon

E We know that health care is a human right, and we are SICK and tired of being SICK and tired.

ighteen months into a global pandemic that has claimed more than 668,000 lives in the U.S., advocates continue to organize for improved access to medical care.

The Nonviolent Medicaid Army, a division of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, recently held a COVID-safe action in support of Mount Vernon Hospital and the surrounding community. The event was held Friday, September 17.

Penalizing the Poor Montefiore Health System, which owns and operates the hospital, has already closed the intensive care unit. The closure is jeopardizing the health and safety of the residents of Mt. Vernon, New York.

Community members joined with the Nonviolent Medicaid Army, NYSNA representatives and others to urge Montefiore Health Systems to reopen the ICU, do their part to end poverty rather than penalizing the poor, and work to obtain consistent funding for community hospitals. The action was part of the Nonviolent Medicaid Army’s broader efforts to ensure persons in poverty, particularly persons on

Medicaid rally

Rally for Nonviolent Medicaid Army, September 2021

Medicaid or persons who should have Medicaid, have access to quality health care.

Medicaid Enrollment Spikes The event came as Medicaid enrollment spiked to over 80 million people, up from just over 71 million at the beginning of the pandemic.

The Nonviolent Medicaid Army was formed after state-level organizing by persons living in poverty or with low wealth. In addition to the event

in Mount Vernon, the Nonviolent Medicaid Army also organized in-person events in California, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania and Vermont and an online action in Texas.

We cannot continue to live this way, and we shouldn’t have to in the richest country in the nation. We know that health care is a human right, and we are SICK and tired of being SICK and tired. The communities we serve deserve so much more.

NYRN

NEW YORK NURSE october 2021

NYSNA Members Complete Educational Mission in Egypt

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n September, the New York Relief Network (NYRN) completed an education mission in Egypt. The NYRN is NYSNA’s 501(c)(3) for charitable medical work. The mission included training, lectures and workshops. It also provided an opportunity to meet and dialogue with Egyptian nurses.

The NYRN delegation included 10 nurses and a coordinator, Rony Curvelo. The group visited the MISR AL MAHABA Hospital, which was built two and a half years ago. This was the first time volunteer nurses went to the hospital for an educational mission.

The MISR AL MAHABA Hospital is in the Egyptian countryside and serves one of the neediest areas in the region. The dedicated local nurses appreciated the training NYRN offered.

NYRN team members also gained valuable experience.

“The reception at the hospital was amazing,” said Jeannette Jean Pierre, a registered nurse.

“We have never received a welcome like this. The nurses were so eager to receive our knowledge, and we were delighted to give it.”

Lectures and Learning Rose Mourdoukoutas, RN, delivered the first lecture and focused on standards of nursing care and breaking the chain of infection.

Nursing in Egypt is a skilled profession that has seen little change over the past 30 years. The total number of nurses in Egypt is estimated to be around 202,000. The majority (almost 90%) have a certificate or diploma of nursing, and only 6-8% have a certificate of Bachelor of Nursing.

Patricia James, RN, delivered two lectures on management of young nurses and difficulties faced by nurses. She encouraged nurses to pay special attention to new colleagues, explaining: “It is very important to check in with new nurses. Develop a rapport with them and welcome them. Once they are welcomed and feel comfortable, they will not want to leave.”

Nurses in Egypt engage with NYRN, September 2021

The World Health Organization notes that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for 46% of total deaths in Egypt; CVDs are a significant public health concern with substantial social and economic implications in terms of health care needs, lost productivity and premature death. For that reason, the lecture about cardio and EKG interpretations delivered by Marie Boyle, RN, took on special significance.

“We went through different departments—CCU, ICU, ER—at the hospital and taught basic nursing procedures and universal precautions,” said Boyle. “We delivered lectures on this trip. This was a different kind of trip because the interaction was on an academic level. We met so many nurses who were eager to learn and interact with us. They learned the American way, and we learned about how things are done in Egypt. What was clear is that they do so much with the few resources they have, and their hearts are full.

Their care for their patients is absolutely magnificent. This is something I will never forget. We left as friends as well as colleagues.”

Life-Altering Experience Under the Egyptian-Model, only a pain physician leads the Acute Pain Service assisted by a trained Advanced Practice Nurse. The pain physician assesses pain, manages treatment regimens, conducts follow-ups and modifies plans for postoperative analgesia. With that

backdrop in mind, it is understandable then that Maria Duncan’s lecture on postoperative pain management was in high demand.

Finding Purpose During the training, the NYRN team had the opportunity to interact with young nurses eager to go the extra mile to care for their patients.

“My experience was life-altering,” said Bridges Jones, RN. “This is because the trip allowed me to feel useful again. We were able to examine the hospital and work closely with nurses. They valued our opinion and had a lot of respect for our opinions and experiences. This made me feel useful. Coming from America to Egypt. In America the conditions are different; we have plenty of everything. The skills, experience and knowledge were held in high regard. This trip gave me purpose in my field, and I look forward to doing this again in the future. This was an excellent opportunity for nurses to expand their horizons and help at the same time.”

The bottom line: NYRN is strengthening the nursing profession everywhere we go.

For more information or to see pictures and videos from recent missions’ trips, visit the New York Relief Network Facebook page.

If you are interested in supporting the program, you may join the Facebook page. Persons who are financially able should also consider making a donation.

NYRN conduct workshop during Educational Mission

Rose Mourdoukoutas, RN

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new chapter

New York Nurse october 2021

As the New Editor of New York Nurse Magazine, Here’s What I Want You to Know About Me

By Jennifer R. Farmer

“I believe in the importance of controlling our narrative and telling our stories.”

Jennifer R. Farmer

I

have always valued health care professionals. But it was the final moments of my mother’s life in early April 2021 that underscored for me that importance of what you do.

As my mother lay transitioning, it was the health care workers at St. Ann’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, who seamlessly cared for her as well as her children. I still marvel at the compassion and patience they showed. Without exaggeration, I am not sure how my siblings and I would have made it through that terrible period without their presence and witness to our suffering.

You Do the Impossible They are you. You wake up every day and do the impossible. You are not always seen, your efforts are not always rewarded, and you may occasionally throw your hands up in temporary resignation. But you should know that there are many who see and value you. Our health system doesn’t work without you.

That is why I am honored to be the new editor of New York Nurse.

The publication is designed to honor

you and highlight your story, sacrifice and commitment. As your new editor, I will work hard to amplify your work, showcase your humanity and celebrate your contributions.

The magazine will include stories on issues that matter to you, your patients and communities.

dogs—a German shepherd named Samson and a Labrador Retriever named Sasha.

Professionally, I have authored two books, “First and Only: A Black Woman’s Guide to Thriving at Work and in Life” (Broadleaf Books) and “Extraordinary PR, Ordinary Budget: A Strategy Guide” (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). In addition to my books, I write frequently on issues of race, gender, faith and leadership. My work has appeared in publications such as Thrive Global!, Blavity, Society for Nonprofits, Chronicle of Philanthropy, CNN, The Root, HuffPost, LifeHack, PR Daily, Red Letter Christians and more. I am also the host of United Methodist Women’s award-winning “Faith Talks” podcast, a program that offers spiritual growth content for women of faith.

A New Chapter As we embark on this new chapter, I invite and welcome your partnership. If you have story ideas, do not hesitate to contact me and share. If you would like to write for New York Nurse or any other NYSNA publication, please contact me and let me know. You can email me at jennifer.farmer@nysna. org, or your area director can help connect us.

In the interim, let me tell you about myself and my background. I am a first-generation American on my mother’s side. My mother was a naturalized citizen, originally born in Barbados, West Indies. When her family came to the United States, they settled in New York City. I attended college in upstate New York, at the University of Rochester. Separately, I am a single mother of two children and two

Mission Matters

Jehan Photography LLC

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When I am not working with NYSNA, I run a boutique public relations firm, Spotlight PR LLC, and offer communications support for leaders and groups committed to social and racial justice. Through Spotlight PR, I have worked with some of the biggest names in social justice, including activist, rapper and businessman Michael Render, pka Killer Mike; former Ohio State Sen. and former candidate of Ohio’s 11th Congressional District Nina Turner; the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II; author Edgar Villanueva (“Decolonizing Wealth”); and many more.

What I’d like you to know most is that I believe in the power of mission-aligned work. I believe in the power of joining together to bargain collectively for that which improves our lives, our family’s lives and our community’s lives; and I believe in the importance of controlling our narrative and telling our stories.

The voices of nurses matter now more than ever. I am delighted to help amplify them.

NEW YORK NURSE october 2021

Majority of Americans Support Labor Unions

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rom time to time, there are predictable but welcomed social media posts urging Americans to “thank a union” for weekends, child labor laws and other common sense protections that most people take for granted. What is understood by most union members is that the life Americans enjoy today, the protections they expect on the job, is a result of organized labor. These victories may seem as American as apple pie but they came at a great cost. In other words, someone sacrificed for that which we so easily enjoy today. For many, the role of unions is without dispute; but more and more people are coming to appreciate the benefits of unions.

The Gallup Poll recently found that sixty-eight percent of Americans approve of labor unions. People from all walks of life see the benefit of unions.

Gallup found that approval has increased among nearly all major demographic subgroups since 2016. One exception is labor union members, whose approval has been no lower than 75% since 2001.

In addition to union members, approval is relatively high among young adults aged 18-34 (77%) and those with annual household incomes under $40,000 (72%).

UNION YES!

A Voice on the Job Though statistically similar to last year’s 65%, the current reading is the highest Gallup has measured since 71% in 1965. While support for unions is at a historic high, the proportion of workers who belong to unions still hovers around 9 %.

We know the key to having safe working conditions is a voice on the job through labor unions. We do hope more workers come together to bargain collectively. This is the

best way to ensure a brighter future for the worker, their families and the communities they serve.

Source https://news.gallup.com/ poll/354455/approval-labor-unionshighest-point-1965.aspx

Don’t Miss Convention Workshops This Month!

Convention is about more than the official business, connections, and education that happens on Oct. 27. It is also about continuing education workshops that hone your knowledge, skills, and practice—all while earning you up to 21.0 CHs / 2.1 IACET CEUs! If you missed the first two weeks of October Convention workshops, you still have the opportunity to register for week three programs. Check out the calendar of workshops below. Get more details about each workshop and register online at www.nysna. org/2021convention!

Thursday, Oct. 14

Friday, Oct. 15

7:30 – 9:30 a.m. COVID-19: New OSHA & NYS Requirements for Healthcare Worker Safety

10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Movie/Power to Heal—Fighting for a Just Healthcare System: Understanding Healthcare Reform and its ties to the Civil Rights Movement and its Implications for Addressing Racial Justice in the Fight for Single Payer in New York

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Staffing Bill & Bargaining: Nurses, Use Your Story and Your Voice to Advocate for Patients Beyond the Bedside 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Strategies for Addressing Workplace Violence Hazards Related to Patient Mental Health Needs on Non-Behavioral Health Care Areas

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.: Addiction: Occupational Hazard for Nurses

Saturday 10/16 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Bargaining: Using the Power of Member Action Teams for Collective Advocacy and to Build Unity

Tuesday, Oct. 12 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Nurses Building Political Power by Engaging with our Elected Officials and Community Allies to Win Staffing and Improve Patient Outcomes 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.: The Staffing Law: New Rights and Opportunities for Nurses to Improve Patient Care Wednesday, Oct. 13 Implementing the Staffing Law: How Worksite Nurse Leaders Can Use Data and Collective Action to Achieve and Enforce Effective Staffing Plans 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Patient Acuity and Staffing Mix: Getting the Numbers Right

United for Our Patients, Our Practice, and a Just Recovery for All

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around our union

New York Nurse october 2021

NYSNA Recognizes National Voter Registration Day

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YSNA, New York state’s largest nurses’ union, celebrated National Voter Registration Day (NVRD, nationalvoterregistrationday.org) on Sept. 28.

NVRD celebrated every year on the fourth Tuesday of September. First celebrated in 2012, it is a nonpartisan civic holiday that celebrates democracy and encourages people across the country to learn the rules in their respective states, register to vote and

encourage others to do the same.

People and groups from all walks of life participate in the annual mobilization, including volunteers, voting rights advocates, nonprofit organizations, businesses, schools, libraries, election officials and more.

“Rather than simply telling people to register to vote, we want to help them anticipate barriers to voting, learn the rules in their community, make a plan and then

register to vote,” said NYSNA President and RN, Nancy Hagans.

“We know that in addition to registering, we can and should help our friends and family do the same.”

The National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Association of State Election Directors, the National Association of Election Officials and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission supported NVRD.

LI Members Enjoy Night Out at Ducks Game

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n Friday, Sept. 17, NYSNA members and their families enjoyed a day at the ballpark for a baseball game and barbecue. Members on Long Island came out to support The Ducks, Long Island’s minor league baseball team, as they took on the York Revolution. They enjoyed an allyou-can-eat buffet, an incredible baseball game and friendly conversation. It was great to see The Ducks win, with the entire community that was able to assemble in a safe and

fun environment. The community recognized and thanked NYSNA

members for their service through the course of the pandemic.

NYSNA Members at UVM-CVPH and NYP-Hudson Valley Hold Speak-out

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YSNA members from Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) and NewYork Presbyterian-Hudson Valley Hospital held speak-outs

Salvacion Delacruz, RN and Anna Apostol, RN, holding photos of their coworkers (Jesse Greenberg, Charisma Corpuz, Shannon Cestone, Ramil Betua) who were inside working during the speak out, but wanted to show their support.

to demand fair contracts and safe staffing standards for health care workers and their patients.

CVPH members have been advocating against short staffing conditions and loss of health services at the hospital.

On Sept. 22, hundreds of health care workers and community members joined NYSNA members to speak out against unsafe staffing conditions at CVPH. Victoria Davis-Courson, RN at CVPH, said, “In all areas of the hospital, our staff is stretched to the breaking point. Quality patient care suffers when there are not enough nurses and frontline health care professionals to care for patients. We are coming together to demand safe staffing and a fair contract that protects patient care.”

NYP-Hudson Valley nurses recently beat back management’s decertification campaign and its decision to fire a veteran nurse for

her union support. Now nurses are bringing in the momentum from their strengthened solidarity to speak out and raise their voices for a fair contract.

Compromising Positions “On my unit, the NICU, we have been put in far too many unsafe situations. We consistently work understaffed, and our patients, the babies we care for, are especially vulnerable.

We need safe staffing ratios and NYP-Hudson Valley needs to retain the exceptional nurses that work here by giving us fair compensation and benefits. It is the right thing to do and more critical than ever,” said Kate Gregorio, RN, NYP-Hudson Valley neonatal intensive care unit.

The health care workers at UVM-CVPH and NYP-Hudson Valley have provided exceptional care without a contract in the face of the pandemic. It’s time hospital management provide the respect that health care workers deserve.

NEW YORK NURSE

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october 2021

NYSNA Board of Directors Since the last issue, the NYSNA Board of Directors met and took action on a number of matters. Highlights are below:

August 2021 Board Action Report Adopted a confidentiality policy to protect the organization in legal and other matters.

Received recommendations from the By-Laws Committee, regarding 3 by-law amendment proposals that will be discussed at Convention. The Board voted in favor of the Committee’s recommendations, and the proposals will be heard and decided upon at the Convention business meeting on October 27, 2021.

Adopted Board Expense Policy, which is a guideline on appropriate

expenditures that Board members can be reimbursed for and how to do so. Only necessary, actual, and reasonable expenses incurred, while attending NYSNA meetings or functions, will be reimbursed.

Adopted Board Lost Time Policy; this policy outlines the process in which Board Members can be reimbursed for any time they have lost at their location(s) of work, during all official NYSNA business.

This policy is intended to prevent a financial hardship for elected Board members who are engaging in official NYSNA business.

Created the Per Diem Dues Taskforce/Committee; this body will serve to investigate the current dues rates for NYSNA members that work per diem, which comprise a notable contingent of NYSNA nurses.

Discussed NYSNA’s plan to demand impact bargaining with every facility in NY State, regarding the Department of Health’s Vaccination Mandate for all healthcare workers in a NY general hospital or nursing home.

NYSNA is trying to address concerns and issues surrounding the mandate, and mandatory bargaining is one strategy the union will use to represent their members.

Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home Members Ratify New Contract

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he 112 local bargaining unit (LBU) members at Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home in Gloversville, New York, who successfully ratified a new contract! Major wins include 2 percent wage increases for each year of the contract, an increase in employer contributions for family health insurance, an increase in weekend and preceptor differentials, clarified language for bereavement leave and terminal benefits, and more. Float pool employees must be oriented and

deemed competent for all units within 12 months. The LBU also was able to negotiate for a shorter window in which employees can be held in their current position

getting the window narrowed from 90 to 60 days. Congratulations Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home members!

New Overtime Pilot at St. Lawrence Health System and NYC H+H

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s health care workers face record burnout and worker shortage rates, NYSNA members have bargained with employers to ensure nurses are fairly compensated for the extra work they’ve done through the pandemic. This past week, nurses who are part of the St. Lawrence Health System in the North Country and NYC Health + Hospitals have both reached agreements to pilot programs that will provide additional

compensation to nurses working overtime.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Gouverneur Hospital and Massena Hospital of the St. Lawrence Health System have agreements to provide additional pay in addition to the regular/premium compensation rate to nurses who volunteer to pick up extra shifts. For NYC H+H workers, those eligible are all staff who are approved to perform in-person, direct patient care in all

areas identified as needing additional staffing as part of the pilot program, including acute care, in-patient care, post-acute care, Correctional Health Services and any other areas NYC H+H identifies as needing additional shifts.

Although these pilot agreements are merely a Band-Aid for the interim, members are hopeful that this extra compensation will help provide additional relief and support.

Nancy Hagans, RN

Hagans Addresses Haitian American Nursing Symposium

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mid widespread concern over the treatment of Haitian migrants, NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, delivered remarks before the Haitian American Nurses Association of Hudson Valley, New York. Her remarks were part of the 3rd Annual Nursing Symposium and 13th Annual Scholarship Fundraising Gala that was held on Sept. 24, 2021.

The symposium occurred amid a backdrop of challenges facing Haiti: ongoing poverty, the devastating earthquake and the assassination of Jovenel Moise.

The theme of the symposium and gala was “Coming Together to Celebrate Bravery, Resilience & Excellence.” Attendees sought to examine factors influencing nursing resilience and heroism during a pandemic and beyond.

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New York Nurse october 2021

The Real Reason Nurses Are Leaving the Profession

By Jennifer R. Farmer

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ith vaccine mandates fully in effect, the state of New York is entering an unprecedented time. Workers who have refused to be vaccinated or were denied a religious exemption could face separation from their job or reassignment.

Given the fragile state of our health care system, this has led to widespread speculation on the number of people impacted and what will happen as a result.

As NYSNA and other unions maintain negotiations with employers about how to respond now that vaccine mandates are in effect, there is a broader story to be told. For all the wall-to-wall coverage on mandates, there is a vacuum in discussions and awareness around why nurses are leaving the profession. Hint: It is bigger than a mandate.

“As we’ve said before, nurses enter the profession to keep people safe,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN. They generally care about others and want to help, especially in times of great need.

And as professionals, healthcare workers are constantly flagging issues that hinder their ability to provide consistent and quality care.

Those issues include system-wide staffing shortages; lack of personal protective equipment; insufficient measures to prevent aerosol trans-

mission of COVID-19; chronic stress; trauma related to COVID-19, including feelings of being generally worn down. The barriers nurses must clear to stay in the profession are bigger than the vaccine, although media coverage appears to be narrowly focused on that one aspect.

This is Complex The truth of the matter is that the challenges facing health care workers are complex. They aren’t always presented in a neat, tidy box. Moreover, while they didn’t start last year at the height of the global health crisis, the pandemic certainly made things worse. In fact, while COVID-19 placed a new burden on health care workers, there were issues before the onset of the deadly pandemic.

“A pandemic on top of decades of poor working conditions, is causing nurses to leave the profession,” said Kelly Cabrera, RN. “Adequate staffing has always been a challenge. For instance, my mother-in-law was a nurse in the 1980s. She dealt with many of the same issues nurses today are facing.

The only difference is that in this day and age patients are sicker and many are living longer. I’ve been at the bedside for 7 years and on some days I feel broken.”

What must be understood is that as nurses leave the profession, the ramifications of their departure reverberate through their friend and family circles. Many of NYSNA’s members are heads of households with immediate, and sometimes extended, family members relying on them for sustenance

and support. A sizable portion of our nurses are also first-generation American, meaning they likely have responsibility to provide for their family in the states as well as loved ones back home. Since nursing is one of the few professions where one can earn a six-figure salary yet work as few as three or four days a week, the career path is ideal for people shouldering numerous responsibilities. But given what we know about the profile of NYSNA members and nurses in places like New York broadly, it is even more imperative that unions negotiate for the best possible measures that will improve the quality of life for frontline caregivers.

Nurses Faced Unbelievable Strain What must be acknowledged is that most people cannot fully appreciate the strain that nurses have faced. They have experienced physical and emotional burdens while caring for sick patients of varying acuities. For instance, during the height of the pandemic, nurses were doing housekeeping, dietary, as well as their regular tasks. That says nothing of the trauma of watching patients succumb to an illness that is not completely understood.

“Because of mandates, some people have left the bedside, and it has left us worse off in terms of staffing,” said Cynthia Lena, RN. “We have had so many staff members who are sick or are so burned out that they want to go to a different profession. Across the profession, we have all had difficulties in getting through.”

The Crisis at Rikers Continued from page 5

diate work environment. If we speak up, we find others could be experiencing the same thing. When we join together in numbers, we are able to exact change.”

This speaks to the fact that safety, clearly, is not just an issue at Rikers. Nurses statewide have experienced safety issues which were exacerbated due to COVID-

19. For example, January 2022 will see a new staffing mandate go into effect requiring clinical staffing committees in New York state hospitals and nursing homes.

Even amidst this very dangerous moment, both Butler and Pressley continue to advocate for their patients, co-workers and for themselves. Butler says, “Most nurses at Rikers have a real compassion for

what they do and are very dedicated to his population. Even before this trying time—they feel a commitment to the population. There is not much that will keep them from continuing the work.”

Pressley adds, “I love taking care of the patients and I want change.

I want to change how it is on the island and to make a better environment. I know it can be better.”

NEW YORK NURSE october 2021

NYSNA Celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day

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hroughout the country, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is increasingly recognized by cities and states as an official holiday and as a time to celebrate the histories, contributions, and cultures of people of the First Nations. NYSNA honors Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the invaluable contributions of our Indigenous members, and all the Indigenous nations that make up New York state.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is also a time to reflect on our nation’s troubled history of colonialism and oppression of First Nations peoples, and what is still needed to ensure we all can live free and healthy lives.

Health Disparities The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the deep disparities in our healthcare system, and this has been especially true in Indigenous communities. The social determinants of health and chronic underfunding of the Indian Health Service (INS) have limited access to care and resulted in poor health outcomes in these communities.

According to Johns Hopkins University, in the United States, Native Americans have 3.5 times higher risk of contracting the coronavirus than Whites.1 This number is shocking and even more startling is that it is likely an undercount of the disparate impact of COVID19 on Native Americans, as many Indigenous peoples are not visible in the public health data.

Although NYSNA members do not work for the INS and may have limited contact with indigenous communities in the healthcare setting, there are still ways we can support Indigenous peoples as part of nursing’s commitment to equity and social justice.

Nurses can advocate for increased funding for the INS. Just 1 https://magazine.nursing.jhu. edu/2020/11/indigenous-communitiesare-resilient-but-stretched-too-thin-inthe-face-of-covid-19/

as inequitable funding formulas for public and safety net hospitals have harmed the health of our patients in low-income communities and communities of color, the inequitable federal funding of the INS has harmed patients who are Native American.

Uplift Our Colleagues NYSNA members can also support and uplift our colleagues and nursing students from First Nations backgrounds. Historically, Indigenous nurses have contributed to the resilience of their communities and have led the way in advocating for healthcare justice. One of the very first Indigenous nurses, Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail, RN, was instrumental in documenting the poor living conditions on reservations and INS’s failures that contributed to poor health outcomes

for First Nations patients. She battled against the forced sterilization of Native American women, still practiced well into the 1970s, and for culturally competent healthcare in Indigenous communities.

Although she passed away in 1981 after being recognized for her contributions to nursing and to defending the rights of Indigenous people, Walking Bear Yellowtail’s legacy lives on in the growing number of Indigenous and allied healthcare professionals who center their work on challenging racial healthcare disparities and ensuring quality patient care for all.

SOURCES https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/ volumes/69/wr/mm6934e1.htm?s_ cid=mm6934e1_w

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NEW YORK NURSE october 2021

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Impact Bargaining Followed Vaccine Mandates, p. 2

Unitedthe forMoment, Our Patients, Marking p. 3 Our Practice, and a Just Recovery for All

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