New York City nurses are calling for reforms as an industry plagued by a “broken” health care system threatens their livelihoods and the future of their profession.
Why It Matters
Nurses were considered vital and lauded as heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic, when at the outset the National Institutes of Health highlighting their “critical roles and responsibilities” that included front-line patient care in hospitals; ensuring personalized, high-quality services irrespective of infectious conditions; and engaging in planning for outbreaks stemming from coronavirus-related outbreaks that could overwhelm health systems.
“These are issues that have preceded the pandemic and will continue until hospitals make serious efforts to recruit and retain nurses and invest in safe patient care,” Nancy Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), told Newsweek.
“We’re also witnessing the effects of a broken healthcare system,” she said…