| | A Weekly Update for NYSNA Members | February 7, 2025 | | | | NYSNA Celebrates Perianesthesia and Ambulatory Nurses Week Feb. 3-9 is Perianesthesia and Ambulatory Nurses Week. Ambulatory nurses play a crucial role in providing compassionate care outside traditional hospital settings. They ensure that patients receive the care they need in a timely and efficient manner. And perianesthesia nurses play a vital role in ensuring the safety and comfort of every patient from pre-op to recovery. NYSNA salutes your hard work and dedication! | | | |  | Vassar Brothers Nurses Ratify Contract! On Friday, Jan. 31, Vassar Brothers Medical Center nurses reached a tentative agreement prior to their contract expiration date. The tentative agreement contains significant improvements, including respectful wage increases that reflect the work NYSNA nurses do to provide excellent care for their patients. On Thursday, Feb. 6, over 99% of nurses voted to ratify the contract. Congratulations, Vassar Brothers nurses, on a strong new contract! | | | | Staffing Victory: Montefiore Nurses Win Arbitration Award! On Jan. 24, medical/surgical nurses at Montefiore Weiler Hospital won a safe staffing arbitration award. The arbitrator found 88 violations that he referred to as “a pattern of understaffing which negatively impacted the nurses by creating an excessive workload” and awarded $55,947.60 to the 75 understaffed nurses to remedy those violations. He also held that the record established “higher-than-usual patient acuity or unsafe working conditions,” relying in large part on protests of assignments (POAs) as an “essential piece of evidence.” This victory is a direct result of the great work that the Montefiore nurses did to record staffing issues and their active participation throughout the arbitration process. Nurses testified in detail regarding the POAs they filed and the serious impact on patient care when their 1:5 ratio is not met. Congratulations, Montefiore nurses, for continuing to hold management accountable to safe staffing to ensure patients are receiving the care, dignity and respect they deserve! | | | | Contract Victory for Fresenius Nurses NYSNA members at three Fresenius locations—Nephrocare, Soundshore and Montefiore III/IV—overwhelmingly ratified their contract this week. Nurses defeated attempts to dismantle their health and retirement benefits, made improvements in charge pay and preceptorship pay, and won market adjustments for members who have long deserved an updated and competitive experience scale. They also won Juneteenth as a paid holiday and added significant rights for nurses to be able to plan and manage epidemic and pandemic crises. Congratulations, Fresenius nurses! | | | |  | Northwell South Shore University Hospital Nurses March on the Boss On Tuesday, Feb. 4, NYSNA nurses at Northwell South Shore University Hospital (SSUH) marched on the boss and delivered a petition, which hundreds of nurses signed, to the executive director and chief nursing officer at SSUH. The petition calls on management to deliver a fair contract with safe staffing, fair pay and improved benefits — the three core issues nurses have been fighting for at the bargaining table. The action made it clear to Northwell management that nurses are ready to do whatever it takes to settle a fair contract before it expires at the end of this month. Check out a video of the action on NYSNA’s Facebook. | | | |  | CenterLight Nurses Call on CEO to Put Their Healthcare Over Profits Homecare nurses at CenterLight Healthcare have been fighting for a new union contract with strong wages and no cuts to healthcare but have faced repeated delays and resistance from management. At the end of last year, management unlawfully cut off their health insurance after nurses refused to accept an “offer” that would have quadrupled their healthcare costs. Nurses are fighting back by publicizing CenterLight’s outrageous actions. On this new website, nurses call out CenterLight’s prioritizing of executive salaries and marketing expenditures over patient care. They also point to CenterLight’s long history of shady business practices that have hurt healthcare workers and patients. Nurses plan on holding a speak-out on Wednesday, Feb .12, to garner support from the community and elected officials in their efforts to reinstate their healthcare and win a fair contract. Check out and share the flyer for the speak-out and add your name to their petition calling on CenterLight to reinstate the healthcare of the nurses who care for their patients. | | | |  | Nathan Littauer Hospital Delivers Petition to CEO Demanding a Fair Contract On Friday, Jan. 31, nurses at Nathan Littauer Hospital delivered a petition to their CEO that 85% of NYSNA members signed. The petition calls on hospital leadership to settle a fair contract that prioritizes safe staffing so the facility can retain and recruit qualified nurses and keep care local. Nurses are committed to continuing organizing for a contract that allows them to provide the highest quality care to their patients and community. | | | |  | CVPH Nurses Provide Narcan Training to Healthcare Workers and Community Members At a wellness fair on Jan. 26, Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) and Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital members came together to offer a Narcan training session for healthcare workers and the community. This collaboration aimed to equip attendees with the knowledge and skills needed to administer Narcan and provided participants with a free Narcan kit. The training session stressed the importance of community involvement in combating the opioid crisis. By partnering for this event, SPAN and NYSNA members helped raise awareness and empowered individuals with the tools to make a difference in their communities. | | | |  | NYSNA Nurses Support 1199SEIU Union Siblings to Demand Fair Contract at PBMC NYSNA nurses joined our union siblings at 1199SEIU in solidarity with their fight for a fair contract. Nurses stood side by side with 1199SEIU workers to tell Peconic Bay Medical Center management: “3% Can’t Pay the Rent”! Nurses across Long Island, including nurses at Northwell South Shore University Hospital and Northwell Huntington Hospital, are also facing contract fights. We are in solidarity with all union workers who are demanding the respectable wages they deserve. | | | |  | NYSNA Joins NYIC Press Conference in Support of Immigrant New Yorkers On Thursday, Feb. 6, NYSNA nurses joined community organizations at a rally organized by the New York Immigration Coalition to speak out against the devastating new federal directive that strips long-standing protections from immigrant New Yorkers who seek resources in sensitive locations, including hospitals, schools and houses of worship. Nurses sent the message that they are committed to providing compassionate care for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status. | | | | Know Your Rights and Advocate for Patients When Encountering ICE Nurses’ first duty is to care for and advocate for our patients. NYSNA nurses care for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status, income or insurance status, race, religion, ability or disability, sexuality, or gender identity or expression — simply regardless. Read our statement regarding the federal policy change on immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations,” including hospitals and schools. Learn your rights and get answers to frequently asked questions to learn what to do if you encounter U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in your facility. NYSNA has also prepared this list of legal resources related to immigration. Please review and share widely. | | | | Support Afya: Donate Supplies to Help Victims of the Southern California Wildfires Afya, a Yonkers-based nonprofit that works on disaster relief to ensure access to critical medical supplies, is responding to the devastating wildfires erupting in Southern California. NYSNA members can help victims by donating supplies or funds. The most needed items at this time are personal hygiene products. See this flyer for a full list of needed items. Afya has also put together an Amazon Wishlist for NYSNA members to purchase supplies directly. You can also donate funds through the Afya donation page. While volunteer opportunities with Afya are currently at capacity due to the generosity of our members, we will update NYSNA members when future opportunities arise. | | | |  | Celebrate Lunar New Year With NYSNA! On Sunday, Feb. 16, join NYSNA in welcoming the Year of the Snake! NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals will gather with members of the communities we serve to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Join in the parade and celebration in Manhattan’s Chinatown by RSVPing. For more information, and help spread through word, download and share the flyer. | | | | NYSNA Joins NYC Maternal Health Steering Committee City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has convened a Maternal Health Steering Committee to confront the maternal mortality crisis in New York City. City Hall has honored NYSNA by requesting a representative from our union join the committee. The committee will hold a series of listening sessions with advocates, providers and other members of the healthcare workforce to assess existing maternal health initiatives and produce action steps to combat maternal mortality. Dr. Judith Cutchin, DNP, RN, NYSNA first vice president and a nurse at NYC Health+Hospitals/Woodhull in Brooklyn, will represent NYSNA and said: “I am proud to serve on this new steering committee that recognizes that maternal mortality, especially for Black women, is a public health crisis. Our city’s public hospital system serves predominantly low-income, underinsured and uninsured patients of color, and I see the stark realities of healthcare disparities firsthand. I look forward to working on solutions with this group of partners and advocates who are committed to addressing this crisis in the communities we serve.” | | | |  | Congratulations Nancy Hagans on Being Named One of City & State’s Black Trailblazers Less than one month since she was featured as a Trailblazer in Healthcare, NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, was recognized in City and State’s 2025 Black Trailblazers! This list recognizes Black leaders and game-changers in politics, policy and other professions throughout New York state. Congratulations, Nancy! | | | | NYSNA Supports Amending the Education Law for CRNAs As we continue to celebrate Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetics (CRNAs) Week, NYSNA is proud to support an amendment to the New York education law in relation to creating the profession of nurse anesthetist. The proposed legislation (S357) would create a new CRNA title and establish formal parameters and regulations applicable to CRNA practice. NYSNA believes that CRNAs should be allowed to independently practice to the full extent of their training and the scope of practice provided for in this legislation, which is why we strongly support and will lobby to pass this legislation this year. Read NYSNA’s memorandum of support for the proposal, and find out how to actively lobby for its passage by attending our upcoming lobby day. | | | |  | Save the Date: NYSNA Lobby Day on March 11 Save the date for NYSNA Lobby Day on March 11, 2025. NYSNA members know that our fight for safe staffing, health equity, and more depends on our elected officials investing in healthcare and holding employers accountable. Share the flyer and reserve your seat on the bus today! | | | |  | Nurses Condemn Trump Administration Attacks on Trans People and Patients As nurses, our first and most important responsibility is to our patients — to provide them with high-quality, safe healthcare and treat them with dignity as people. That is why National Nurses United (NNU) and nurses across the country are outraged by the Trump administration’s rollout of several policies attacking and endangering transgender Americans’ health, safety and lives. Healthcare is a human right. Policies seeking to bar patients from accessing medically sound forms of healthcare, including gender-affirming care and reproductive care, are obvious and deliberate attempts to worsen — not improve — patients’ lives. Trans people are our patients, colleagues, neighbors and family members and members of our communities and profession. They will not be erased, ignored, demonized or ostracized so long as there are nurses in this country with the hearts to care for them. To trans people everywhere: NNU stands with you. Read NNU’s full statement here. | | | | NNU Medicare for All National Strategy Call With the U.S. leaving WHO and the Trump administration threatening cuts to vital healthcare and public health services and institutions, there are many dangerous threats to our healthcare on the horizon. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but now is the time to remain focused on fighting for a popular policy that nurses know is the best solution for healing our broken healthcare system: Medicare for All. Join the first Medicare for All National Strategy Call of 2025 on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 8:00 p.m. Register here. While there’s a lot of uncertainty for what the future holds right now, it is critical that we as nurses come together and commit ourselves to advancing the fight for Medicare for All. The call will get us ready to defend against attempts to degrade, privatize and undermine important public health programs and will prepare us to take concrete action to build the Medicare for All movement and achieve healthcare justice for everyone. | | | | Practice Alert: Required Completion of NYS Reporting Child Abuse Course All licensed health practitioners are required to repeat the Identification and Reporting New York State Child Abuse program, even if you have taken the program in the past. This is a one-time requirement that each individual practitioner must complete and send proof of completion to the New York State Education Department by April 1, 2025. The course is free for NYSNA members. To complete this requirement for free; set up your individual NYSNA account and be signed in; go to the Child Abuse Reporting Course register for and take the program; download your certificates of completion; and mail them to the New York State Education Department. Reach out to your NYSNA Rep to get the NYSNA member ID to use to create an account. Please check our flyer for more information. | | | | Journal of the New York State Nurses Association The Journal of the New York Nurses Association is currently seeking papers. Authors are invited to submit scholarly papers, research studies, brief reports on clinical or educational innovations, and articles of opinion on subjects important to registered nurses. Of particular interest are papers addressing direct care issues. New authors and student authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts for publication. Check out the latest volume of the journal and read the guidelines for submission here. | | | | 2025 Nursing Education & Practice Courses NYSNA members can take advantage of FREE e-leaRN courses, including state-mandated offerings, standard of practice and certification review courses, as well as nursing practice workshops. Take a look at the complete course offering, and register for the courses directly here. You must create an account and be signed into it to search the full catalog of classes and register for them at no cost! | | | | Upcoming NNU Workshops As part of National Nurses United, NYSNA members can now access free continuing education courses and workshops online. Learn more about workshops that advance your practice and empower union nurses. Check out these upcoming workshops: February-March 2025, multiple dates and times | | | | Seminar at Sea 2025 Join NYSNA on a weeklong cruise from Spain to Portugal on May 24-31, 2025. Not only will you get a chance to visit these beautiful countries, but you will also have the opportunity to obtain nursing continuing education credits and connect with colleagues from New York and throughout the country. You can find additional information on our website to learn about this unique and informative educational program and details on how to register for the cruise. | | | | Calling All Nurse Practitioners The NYSNA Nursing Education and Practice Department has added required and important educational offerings specifically for nurse practitioners (NPs). Register and sign in here to access the courses listed below: - Updated: New York State Mandatory Prescriber Education Guidance – For DEA Registration No. (four-hour online asynchronous program required to be taken every three (3) years).
- New and Required: Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and New York State Requirements for All DEA Registered Practitioners: Safe Prescribing of Controlled Substances 8 Hour Training (a one-time eight-hour online asynchronous program. The deadline for satisfying this new training requirement is the date of a practitioner’s next scheduled DEA registration submission—regardless of whether it is an initial registration or a renewal registration—on or after June 27, 2023).
- Mandated New York State Infection Control Training for Healthcare Professionals (asynchronous program required to be taken every four (4) years).
- New and Required: New York State Child Abuse: Identification and Reporting, 8th Edition. (All licensed health practitioners are required to take this new program even if you have taken the New York State Child Abuse program in the past. This is a one-time requirement to be completed by April 1, 2025, with proof to be sent by the practitioner to New York State by April 1, 2025.)
- NPs and Midwives: Prescribing Information (Req. for Form 2B) (a one-time online asynchronous program for those NPs and midwives who did not graduate from an in-state NYSED registered NP program, satisfying the required coursework on New York and Federal Laws Governing Prescriptions and Record Keeping).
| | | | | | Winter-Spring 2025 Labor Education Trainings Open for Registration There’s still time to register for the upcoming training Winning an Issue on Your Unit Through a Campaign of Escalating Actions on Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Registration for the statewide Spring 2025 Member Leader Training series is also open and will take place on Zoom on Thursdays, April 4, 10, 17 and 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Member Leader Training is a four-part training open to all members who want to deepen their leadership skills, and it covers all the basic skills needed to represent your co-workers, enforce your contracts, organize successful collective actions, plan workplace issue campaigns, and have effective meetings with management. You can take each part individually or the entire series, and each provides three contact hours and 0.3 CEUs. Register here and invite your co-workers to attend with you. Check out all of Labor Education's upcoming trainings, including Collective Bargaining Fights: What Is a Contract Campaign and Taking Control of Our Meetings with Management. Check out training dates and register online. | | | | | | | | Effective Jan. 1: Prenatal Rights Under New York State Law Recent changes to New York state employment law help working parents better navigate work and family and require hospitals to better accommodate registered nurses’ medical and family needs. Effective Jan. 1, 2025, New York has become the first state in the U.S. to require paid prenatal care leave, impacting all private employers. This comes not long after the June 2024 change that requires public and private employers to provide a minimum of a 30-minute paid break for employees to pump breast milk. Learn more about these rights in our updated NYSNA fact sheet and the New York State FAQs. | | | | Nurses’ Rights to Be Whistleblowers and Protest Your Assignments NYSNA members should be empowered with the knowledge of laws that have been passed with NYSNA’s input to protect them and empower them to speak up when patient safety is compromised, either due to unsafe staffing or other factors, such as a lack of personal protective equipment, as was the case throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a moment to learn about your rights in this flyer. | | | | NEW: Panel on Emerging Infectious and Occupational Illnesses On Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., join the New York City Central Labor Council and the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health for an important panel on emerging infectious and occupational illnesses. NYSNA’s Lead Occupational Health and Safety Representative, Lisa Baum, M.A., CSP, CSPHA, will serve on the panel alongside panelists from Northwell Health’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine of Long Island, and New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The virtual event will teach participants about emerging and existing illnesses, best practices and protocols for handling outbreaks in various industries, lessons learned from COVID-19, infectious disease tracking protocols in New York City, and more. Register online here. | | | | CDC Issues Health Advisory on Influenza Testing The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health advisory through its Health Alert Network regarding testing and subtyping for influenza A. There is currently a high rate of seasonal influenza A (both H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes) in circulation. In addition, the current avian influenza subtype is an influenza A virus (H5N1). By recommending a shorter timeline for testing and subtyping which type of influenza A that patients are presenting with, the CDC hopes to catch any human avian influenza cases as quickly as possible. Read the full advisory here. For information on how healthcare facilities should prepare for an avian influenza outbreak, read NYSNA’s Avian Influenza Health and Safety Guidelines here. If you have questions or concerns regarding infection control at your facility, please contact the NYSNA Occupational Health and Safety Representatives at healthandsafety@nysna.org. | | | | Health and Safety Alert on Norovirus Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks worldwide. In the United States, it is estimated that norovirus causes approximately 20 million illnesses each year. Healthcare facilities must be prepared to handle patient surges and staffing shortages during a Norovirus outbreak. Check out NYSNA’s Health and Safety Alert on Norovirus to learn more about prevention, control, and management strategies for healthcare workers. | | | | | | | | COVID-19 Leave Fact Sheet Nurses working in New York have several options for fully paid or partially paid leave to cover work time missed due to COVID-19 infection or COVID-19 quarantine. Check out this fact sheet updated by NYSNA’s Occupational Health and Safety team to learn more about your rights under New York state law. | | | | Long COVID Guide Read NYSNA’s Long COVID Guide to help you stay informed on the diagnosis, treatment options, benefits and rights for workers with long COVID. | | | | | | | | NYSNA Life Insurance– It's Time to Designate Your Beneficiary NYSNA already provides members with a great benefit at no cost: Basic MetLife Life Insurance! This coverage provides $20,000 of Basic Life Insurance and $20,000 of Basic Personal Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance. All active members in good standing represented for collective bargaining through the union will automatically be enrolled in the plan. This union benefit is in addition to any other insurance provided by your benefits fund, your contract, or through your employer. But for your loved ones to receive this benefit, you must designate them as a beneficiary! To enroll and receive instructions on designating a beneficiary for your new Basic Personal AD&D Insurance, go to nysnawinstonbenefits.com or call 1-866-483-1124. Sign up with your NYSNA Member ID to set up and access your account and benefits. If you need your Member ID, please contact the NYSNA Membership department at membership@nysna.org. Download the flyer for additional details. | | | | Talkspace Go Classes Through Union UAP NYSNA is excited to introduce a new resource available to all members and eligible family members from our Union Assistance Program (UAP): Talkspace Go classes to learn valuable skills and resources to support your health. February’s topics are designed to improve your mental health and well-being. These live, online group classes are therapist-led, anonymous and free. Check out the calendar of Talkspace Go classes for February 2025. There are new classes every month covering a broad range of topics related to work, family, relationships and mental health. You can download the Talkspace Go app for free from the Apple App store or Google Play to review and register for classes. After you download the app, sign up and create an account, and then enter our organization's code: ESIAP. | | | | NYSNA Will-Writing Benefits From MetLife The NYSNA Benefits Fund gives NYSNA members who are covered by the NYSNA Benefits Fund access to personal will preparation services that MetLife Legal Plans offer — at no additional cost. Having a will prevents unnecessary stress and ensures final wishes are clear. The Benefits Fund offers valuable legal resources through MetLife Legal Plans to assist with creating or updating a will with a member’s Basic Life coverage. As part of this benefit, members get legal guidance and unlimited consultations with network attorneys. Learn more here. | | | | NYSNA Members Are Eligible for AFL-CIO’s Union Plus Benefits! The benefits of being a NYSNA member extend beyond your NYSNA benefits. As an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, NYSNA members are also eligible for Union Plus benefits to help current and retired labor union members and their families save money and support them through major milestones, celebrations and hardships. These benefits include discounts on wireless plans, credit card deals, mortgage deals, discounts on insurance plans and more! Find out more on the AFL-CIO Union Plus website. | | | | | | Free Benefits for NYSNA Members: UAP Program and SPAN Program The Union Assistance Program (UAP) is a confidential self-help program, independent from NYSNA, that is available to NYSNA members and their families as a membership benefit. When an employee or family member (18 or older) faces a significant personal problem, they can call UAP’s experienced counselors at 800-252-4555 for assistance at any time. Read more information on phone counseling services here. Learn about the benefits and resources that the UAP offers here. The February 2025 newsletter focuses on the importance of our own cardiovascular health and the heart health of those we love. Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) is a confidential education, support and advocacy program for all nurses licensed in New York state who are dealing with substance abuse problems. Visit the SPAN website for more information, or to sign up for one of its January classes on intention setting. Learn more about SPAN’s new Compassion Project here. | | | | | | | | In solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
