Filipino nurses here are worried about their jobs, given the surprise layoffs at several New York hospitals.
Reports from the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) said the layoffs started at two medical centers in the NY Metro area, where 276 nurses were affected.
First, the Westchester County Health Care Corp. laid off nearly 200 employees on Dec. 5, 2003, to close a $30 million budget deficit. Then, by mid-January, the Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) eliminated 76 positions to bridge a budget gap of $2 million.
Filipino nurse Potri RankaManis said the layoffs were due to the poor economy, which eroded the financial foundations upon which many New York hospitals were operating.
"The economic crisis engulfing the country right now will lead to more and more layoffs of nurses in New York hospitals by the end of the year," said RankaManis. She said that management of both the Westchester County Healthcare Corp. and Staten Island University Hospital claimed that their problems were due to decreasing reimbursements, increasing costs, wages and insurance premiums.
"In that sense, nurses and patients are paying a high price for the management's decision. As a result, my job as a nurse is always threatened," she said, adding that the hospital where she works is also experiencing a budget crisis.
"NYSNA is outraged about these layoffs," said Lorraine Seidel, the association’s economic and general welfare program director, in a written report. She added that the layoffs would have an impact on direct patient care.
"Medical centers cannot continue to overburden nursing staff by forcing them to work [understaffed]. Not only does this wear out the nursing workforce, it's dangerous for the patients," said Seidel.
However, some hospital executives contend that the layoffs will not affect patient care.
"That's not true, every eliminated position from the hospital will affect patient care," said Sharon Eolis, who also works as a nurse in the same hospital with RankaManis. "With layoffs, the remaining nurses are forced to spend more time performing tasks that will take them away from the bedside."
She too is anxious about the looming layoffs in the hospital, where she has been working for 25 years. "Given the worsening economic conditions, no one is ready to lose a job right now... Personally, I am not ready to retire as a nurse, but I might be forced to with the job cuts," Eolis lamented.
In its January 2004 report, NYSNA emphasized that with the expected increase in layoffs, "every member should stand united." It said the association has been working to ensure that nurses be informed about layoff provisions in the nurses' contract.
"One important thing members can do is to file protest of assignment forms so that the NYSNA can offer solid proof of how management's shortsightedness is undermining the work environment for nurses and threatening their patients," said Seidel.
