An Unprecedented 480+ Safe Staffing Violations

• Despite numerous staffing complaints filed by NYSNA nurses, an investigation by the New York State Department of Health (DOH), and a subsequent staffing deficiency report, Albany Medical Center continues to hide the truth about the staffing crisis from its frontline nurses and from the community.  

• Earlier this year, the DOH began an investigation into Albany Med after receiving numerous complaints from nurses that show how the hospital violates the state’s safe staffing ratios for critical care. For example, while the law requires there be no more than two babies receiving ICU level care assigned to one nurse, one complaint described a NICU shift in which 19 nurses were responsible for 51 babies. Nurses were unable to take breaks, or they would be leaving up to 6 babies in the care of a single nurse. Nurses who filed these complaints have received letters that confirm over 50 violations of the hospital’s staffing plan.

• In August, Albany Med received the results of that investigation—a staffing deficiency report that found a shocking 480+ violations, the largest publicly- known number of violations ever found by a DOH investigation since the safe staffing law went into effect, of which nurses are aware. After receiving the report, by law, administrators were supposed to meet with the staffing committee and work together to submit a corrective action plan within 45 days. Despite numerous requests from NYSNA nurses and the staffing committee, hospital administrators refused to share the DOH report or agree to a meeting until Oct. 3—just 4 days before the deadline. They only agreed to this meeting after legal action by NYSNA.

• When administrators finally met with NYSNA nurses and the staffing committee, they once again refused to share the full report and presented frontline staff only with cherry-picked sections of the report. Management submitted a corrective action plan based on what they claim were the DOH’s findings, but did not give frontline nurses and caregivers, who by law are supposed to collaborate on a corrective action plan, the information or opportunity to contribute. To this day, nurses and the public still do not know the extent of Albany Med's staffing deficiencies or their plan to fix the staffing crisis at the hospital. 

Nurse Hiring and Retention Crisis at Albany Med 

• Albany Med has high nurse turnover and few experienced nurses. Approximately 50% of Albany Med nurses have less than 5 years of bedside experience at Albany Med. That’s twice as many inexperienced nurses as comparable hospitals’ workforces. There are currently nearly 600 vacant nursing positions (source: hospital-supplied data). Albany Med’s nurse vacancy rate is nearly 25% compared to the average national vacancy rate that one study found of 10%.

• For the last two years, more nurses have left the hospital than have been hired. In 2023, Albany Med hired 277 RNs, but 315 left. As of July 2024, the hospital hired 98 RNs, but there have been 156 departures – more than in the same time frame last year. The hospital is on track to hire 100 new grads, which will help fill vacancies, but this will not add experienced nurses or address retention problems. (source: hospital-supplied data)

• Albany Med is planning a $24 million expansion of the Emergency Department at Glen Falls Hospital. Despite their claims of also expanding the ED at Albany Med, the hospital has yet to file a Certificate of Need with the DOH or share concrete plans with nurses. They still have the longest ER visit times in New York State, and some of the longest in the country.