BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dozens of nurses gathered outside the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center to protest pay disparities, long work hours, and the end of an apparent hiring freeze.
Amidst concerns about nurse vacancies and patient safety, the National Nurses United (NNU) and the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) organized the Buffalo VAMC nurses' protest. NNU/NNOC is a union representing 15,000-plus Veterans Health Administration registered nurses.
According to Edie Nesbitt, Director of the Buffalo VA nurse’s union, the nurse shortage prevents some patients from getting adequate care.
“If our staffing methodology states one med surg nurse can take care of five patients, do you think when that same nurse has eight patients, they would be able to provide the same excellent care?” she said.
“Absolutely not,” she added.
In response to the protests, VA Western New York Healthcare System (VAWNYHS) said in a Friday statement to 2 On Your Side that outpatient nurses are compensated fairly and the organization is not short-staffed for outpatient nurses.
“Multiple reviews have found that nursing salary levels for outpatient nurses who work in clinics and other areas are presently appropriate and there is no shortage of nurses working in outpatient clinics with the organization not needing to recruit for these positions external of the agency,” the organization said.
VAWNYHS cites the registered nurse vacancy rate at 4.3% which they say is "lower than the vacancy rate nationwide." The organization adds that there are 517 registered nurses, an "all-time high" and a 10% increase from 2000.
The VA said they are “not under a hiring freeze,” in a Feb. 26 news conference, but Nesbitt said that is just a “talking point.”
“They are saying that they are just taking longer to fill positions, it already takes six to nine months to get someone in, so if you are going to take any longer than that, that is a hiring freeze,” she said.
Associate Director of NNU/NNOC, Amy Clarke added that the apparent hiring freeze needs to stop.
“We need to end that now on a local and national level,” she said.
Buffalo is just one of several cities where VA nurses are protesting staff shortages and patient care concerns. VA nurses in Brooklyn, Cincinnati, Durham, Miami, and Tampa, aim to call upon the VA to make changes in demonstrations this week and next.
Clarke added that the Buffalo VAMC needs to have adequate staffing levels.
“Ending the hiring freeze is essential because we need to return to safe staffing levels and be able to take care of our veterans and avoid patient care delays,” she said.
The PACT Act expanded VA healthcare to those exposed to toxic burn pits and went into effect on March 5. Nesbitt said increasing the number of veterans who require healthcare should also increase the number of nurses delivering that healthcare.
“You cannot continue to bring in more veterans, not increase our staff, and expect us to provide the excellent care that you demand,” said Nesbitt.
The protest comes three days after the VAWNYHS Director and his Chief of Staff were removed on Tuesday amidst allegations of delayed care, misconduct, and administrative failures.
U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy and U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy added on Tuesday that the delays Buffalo veterans experience when trying to access VA medical care are “unacceptable.”
The VA last month projected a $15 billion deficit, and it remains unclear when the Buffalo VAMC, and veteran healthcare nationwide, will respond to nurses’ concerns.
VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes' statement reads in part:
"VA Western New York Healthcare System (VAWNYHS) fully supports our union partners as they are critical team members in the delivery of care to the Veterans we serve throughout Western New York. VAWNYHS is grateful of the collaborative working relationship we have with our union partners. A partnership built on trust and a mutual goal of providing world class, patient centric care for Veterans and their beneficiaries, and active-duty members.
As a part of our commitment to supporting our union partners, we have worked through and collaborated regarding nursing hiring, overall vacancy rates, and reductions in RNs leaving employment at VAWNYHS.
These efforts have been extremely successfully with VAWNYHS having a total RN vacancy rate of 4.3% which is well lower than the vacancy rate nationwide. VAWNYHS currently employees 517 RNs which is an all-time high for the organization and a 10% increase since 2000.
VAWNYHS has used all the new authorities recently implemented by Congress to enable total compensation package which includes benefits not offered by any other regional healthcare providers related to educational loan forgiveness, and ongoing training and professional development opportunities. The total compensation package of salary and benefits for a RN in VAWNYHS has exceeded $100,000 since 2000 and has increased each year.
As a Federal Agency, the process for setting hourly compensation for nursing staff follows a prescriptive process that which involves multiple level of reviews. These processes have been used to increase appropriately increase nursing compensation to be consistent with the regional market. Multiple reviews have found that nursing salary levels for outpatient nurses who work in clinics and other areas are presently appropriate and there is no shortage of nurses working in outpatient clinics with the organization not needing to recruit for these positions external of the agency."