OGH Nurses Holding 'Informational Picket'
The 220 RNs, who are members of the New York State Nurses Association, have been in contract negotiations with the hospital since November of last year.
NYSNA is proposing safe minimum staffing levels at Olean General Hospital to ensure safe care for patients. New nurses are being forced to take on too many patients at one time, and they are burning out -- making recruitment and retention an ongoing problem and financial burden for the hospital.
Patient safety is the nurses’ primary concern, but being forced to care for too many patients at one time puts that safety in jeopardy.
Nurses have expressed that they often leave their shift “feeling like I did the very best I could do – with very little staff.” When planning RN staffing, acuity, or severity of illness, must be considered. The hospital currently staffs its units based solely on numbers of patients, and not the acuity of those patients.
On Wed., June 19, the nurses will be in front of the hospital from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to let the public know that they are fighting for more nurses at Olean General to provide safe care for their community. All are welcome to show their support.
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