Ministry of Health considering staffing issues at Kaleida

The Communications Workers of America District 1 confirmed that the health department was on scene at Millard Fillmore on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Additionally, CWA Local 1168 posted on its Facebook page Tuesday, calling on its members to “get honest answers and tell them about the continuing staffing shortage crisis” with Department of Health representatives.

“The Department of Health is on the ground confirming what we have known for years: that unsafe staffing conditions continue to plague health care workers in New York hospitals,” said Deborah Hayes, CWA District 1 Regional Director. I’m glad I’m doing it.”

“The visit to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital is a direct result of our members sounding the alarm, and we continue to work with the Department of Health, the state, and health care facilities to address unsafe staffing and make improvements. “We want to protect the safety and well-being of healthcare workers and patients,” she said.

The visit came after CWA filed about 8,000 unresolved staffing complaints in late November across multiple hospitals, including Kaleida Health’s Buffalo General Medical Center and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. Catholic Health System Hospital. Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira; NewYork-Presbyterian, a provider downstate.

Many of the complaints involved workers caring for more patients than agreed upon under set staffing ratios, resulting in missed breaks and longer patient wait times. A 2021 state law requires New York state hospitals to establish clinical staffing committees and develop and submit minimum staffing plans to the Department of Health. The law was seen as key to improving work conditions, which have worsened during the coronavirus pandemic and led to an increase in the number of care workers. Leaving the industry.

Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital is not the first Western New York facility to receive an unannounced visit from the Department of Health under the Clinical Staffing Act. CWA confirmed the health department visited Mercy Hospital in Buffalo in the fall, and Erie County Medical Center reportedly received one citation under the law. During the visit, Department of Health staff will conduct interviews and follow up on complaints while ensuring that staffing requirements are posted in all departments and areas accessible to the public.

Asked about the health department’s visit with Millard Fillmore, department spokeswoman Erin Clary said the department cannot comment on public investigations.

Michael P. Hughes, Kaleida’s senior vice president and chief administrative officer, said that “education, compliance and oversight are critical components” of a successful state implementation process of clinical staffing laws. .

“This week, we’ll discuss how we’re carrying out this unpaid national mandate despite the historic workforce challenges facing the entire healthcare industry, and how we’ve grown to 500 in the past year. “This was an opportunity for us to show that we hired more than 1,000 new employees,” he said. “That includes more than 260 new nurses currently working at the bedside. Kaleida Health remains committed to providing the highest quality of care to our patients and communities. ”

Hughes said Kaleida “remains focused on pipeline development, recruitment and retention for all positions across the organization.”

Unions said the health department’s visit proves hospitals in the upstate are under-resourced and need more funding in the upcoming state budget to stabilize operations and increase staffing. In fact, unions, employers and political officials are in the midst of a campaign to influence the state and Gov. Cathy Hochul to increase Medicaid funding for hospitals and nursing homes.

“The staffing shortages our members are facing are the same for all health care workers in the state,” said Jim Jim, vice president of the Western New York Hospital Division of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. Scodato said.

“New York State is in a health care crisis, and now is the time for Governor Hochul to invest the necessary funds to save struggling hospitals,” he said. “The governor must end health care spending cuts and fully fund Medicaid. Recruit and retain staff to alleviate staffing issues when hospitals are chronically underfunded by the state. cannot be expected.”

Rebecca Miller, CWA District 1 State Legislative and Political Director, said in a recent statement that the union believes New York state fully funds Medicaid and “guarantees 100% reimbursement of costs, ensuring that hospitals receive most new “We want to make sure we have enough funding to provide health care.” York residents will receive the care they deserve, and hospitals will be able to immediately begin improving working conditions, retaining and stabilizing their current health care workforce, and complying with safe staffing laws. . ”

Under the Staffing Act of 2021, clinical staffing committees were established in all New York hospitals in early 2022. The committees include at least half of the clinical staff and up to one-half of the hospital administrators, and each committee is tasked with developing and managing the workforce. Develop an annual clinical staffing plan by July 1st and implement the plan six months later, on January 1st.

The first clinical staffing plan under this law was implemented in January 2023.

Hospitals that are found to be in violation of the law after an investigation must submit a corrective action plan within 45 days after the findings are submitted to the hospital.

Failure to comply could result in fines of up to $2,000 per citation and other related civil penalties, according to the Department of Health.

To date, the Department of Health has cited 15 hospitals for violating the law, said department spokeswoman Clary. Clary declined to comment further or name the hospitals mentioned, noting that some cases may be the subject of ongoing investigations. The Buffalo News filed a records request for the names of the hospitals cited.