For Renee Mauro, it’s always been a dream to provide a helping hand during childbirth.
“Bedside nursing is what I love, so I really don’t want to change it right now while I physically can still help women," the veteran nurse said.
Mauro has spent 25 years at New York Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, doing what she loves in the maternity unit. But she said that low staffing in the hospital has made it more difficult and sometimes dangerous.
What You Need To Know
- Nurses say they are short-staffed at New York Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital
- According to the nurses, this is because they've been stuck negotiating a union contract with the hospital for 3 years
- New York Presbyterian says that they “value our dedicated nurses” and that they “are continuously attracting and adding skilled, caring nursing professionals”
“Four babies in the NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] and one NICU nurse, that’s unsafe," Mauro said. "They can’t then come to the high-risk delivers or the C-sections, so that puts the babies at risk too.”
These staffing concerns come amid a union contract dispute between nurses and New York Presbyterian to establish a union at the hospital for the first time. Mauro said this has been a long fight with the hospital.
“We feel like they’re just dragging their feet through the whole thing. It’s been three years," she said. "We think we deserve a contract.”
According to Mauro, the inability for the nurses and hospital to agree on a union contract has played a large role in this staffing shortage.
“Without a contract, there are no raises," she said. "There’s not a competitive wage for the nurses. And we can’t seem to retain or recruit any nurses.”
She adds that the union is negotiating nurse-to-patient ratios in the contract, which would also improve staffing levels.
In a statement, New York Presbyterian said that they “value our dedicated nurses” and that they “are continuously attracting and adding skilled, caring nursing professionals.” But Mauro says that these negotiations have taken so long because the hospital is not acting in good faith.
“The hospital refuses to meet with us most of the time," she said. "And they give us one day a month for a short period of time, and it’s all on Zoom, so it takes a lot of time.”
But she’s prepared to continue do what it takes to get this contract done.
“I’ve been here all day. I’m willing to come out as much as I need to," Mauro said. "I won’t hold back; I’m in 100%.”