In response to severe understaffing that pushes them to work too much, Filipino nurses in New York City have joined more than 7,000 of their colleagues on a strike.
According to Filipino nurse Lorena Vivas, who works in New York, the understaffing has affected her coworkers’ mental and emotional health, leading some of them to leave their hospital jobs and pursue new careers.
At Mt. Sinai Hospital, one of the largest medical facilities in the United States, Vivas reported that there were 350-500 more nurses needed.
She claimed that some nurses were required to care for as many as 22 patients at once, a situation that had persisted in the hospital in question for roughly 6 years.
Vivas also said that they have brought up their concerns to the hospital administration, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
“Kulang na nga noong COVID [pandemic], lalo pang kumulang pagkatapos ng COVID,” she said.
“Hopefully makikinig sila this time. Hindi naman po palaging nagsa-strike ang mga nurses. Ang last strike, 1970 pa. Kaya I’m hoping makikinig na sila ngayong nasa labas na po kaming lahat,” she added.
Vivas also blamed the issue on the hospitals themselves, describing the understaffing problem as “systemic.”
“There’s never been a time in history na ito po ang pinakamaraming nurses na lisensyado na pwedeng magtrabaho sa Amerika. Ang problema, lahat po sila napagod, iyong iba nagpalit ng trabaho, kasi ang mental toll ng understaffing is very difficult,” she added.
Vivas noted that the US Department of Health and Human Services is looking into their case at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
The Philippine Consulate in New York on Monday said it supports the clamor of Filipino-American nurses at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai for better wages and working condition.
“When New York City became the epicenter of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, our kababayan nurses stayed true to their oath to care for the sick and the dying, sometimes at the expense of their very own lives. For their compassion, dedication, and selflessness, their call for better employment terms and conditions should be heeded,” it said.
About 10 percent of nurses in the United States are Filipinos, Vivas said.
