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Nurses at Einstein Medical Center and St. Christopher’s Children’s Hospital, both in Philadelphia, have not reached an agreement on new contracts with their parenting health groups, according to a PASNAP statement from the 5th. November.
Einstein Healthcare Network owns Einstein Medical Center, while St. Christopher Children’s Hospital is owned by Drexel University College of Medical in Tower Health.
Nurses are mainly on strike because they feel “pushed to the brink of unsafe staffing that seriously undermines patient safety,” the statement said.
Nurses represented by PASNAP have also officially given 10-day strike notices at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Bucks County and Mercy Fitzgerald Medical Center in Delaware County, but the two are close to making deals, said the spokesperson for PASNAP.
If the two hospitals come to an agreement, it will prevent 1,000 more nurses from going on strike.
“Frontline nurses at four Philadelphia-area hospitals have taken action toward a strike to protect themselves and their patients on the cusp of a deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic,” indicates the press release. “Nurses are looking to make a commitment to ensure safe minimum staffing levels at each of the four hospitals.
Maria Plano, a registered nurse in St. Christopher’s who is also vice president of the hospital’s united nurses union, told CNN on Wednesday that at her hospital, staffing is “the number one issue.
“We are in a time when healthcare is run by hedge fund groups,” she said. “They don’t care where and how long they run as long as they make them profitable. They are not invested in these hospitals.
Plano said executives at Tower Health’s Drexel University College of Medicine, which owns St. Christopher’s, will not sit down with the nurses’ union to discuss the contractual situation.
“The union vice president (Tower Health) only met with us because we asked,” she said. “Tower’s HR manager had to be on the phone and said he couldn’t answer our questions without HR approval. It’s really disheartening – they bought this hospital and honestly I think they would care less than keep it profitable. To them, I tell them ‘shame on you’. “
An overwhelming majority of nurses in St. Christopher’s have voted in favor of the strike, but the union has yet to give the 10-day strike notice because it still wants to negotiate with Tower Health.
She said the group, which bought the hospital in December 2019, has already closed one of its two floors reserved for less ill patients and is exhausting staff who must be available for children, who require more attention. than adult patients.
“If 500 nurses come to you to tell you what, you should believe your nurses,” she says.
CNN has reached out to Tower Health for comment.
In an emailed statement, officials at Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Hospital told CNN that PASNAP and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital “reached an agreement in principle for a new employment contract on Tuesday,” which, We believe this is good news for our nurses, our colleagues and our community. ”
“Mercy Fitzgerald nurses will vote on whether to ratify this agreement on November 12,” they said in a statement. “We remain fully committed to negotiating in good faith with the union leaders who represent nurses in St Mary’s in the spirit of achieving a fair, consistent and lasting deal for our nurses in St. Mary as well. We are finalizing our contingency plans to ensure we can continue to serve our communities with safe, high-quality care and minimize disruption to those we serve. We do not anticipate any disruption of services at this time. We will keep our community informed as we move forward. “
A spokesperson for Einstein Health said that “Einstein is committed to negotiating in good faith with PASNAP.”
“We are currently in active negotiations and our goal is to enter into a new contract for our 1,100 nurses that continues to provide fair and competitive salaries and benefits and allows our Magnet designated hospital to continue to provide safe and secure care. high quality, ”the spokesperson told CNN in an emailed statement.
“Einstein wants to come to an agreement without a strike. Our hospital will remain open and fully operational during the PASNAP strike – if there is one. If the union takes nurses away from bedside nurses to march on a picket line, Einstein will implement a comprehensive strike contingency plan to ensure minimal disruption, if any, for those receiving care or visiting our hospital during the PASNAP strike. Our plan includes the hiring of nurses licensed and experienced temporary replacement workers who will care for patients during any strike.
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