Officials at Mount Sinai hospital on Sunday refuted claims that patients have died as a result of a massive nurses’ strike — and said they had more than enough qualified replacements ready to step in.
The health care giant, which operates three major Manhattan hospitals, said more than 1,400 trained nurses stepped in without a hitch when 15,000 union nurses walked off the job on Jan. 12, allowing Mount Sinai and two other impacted Big Apple health care companies to continue to save lives.
“We hope [New York State Nurses Association] ends its strike so we can bring our incredible nurses back as soon as possible,” a Mount Sinai rep said in a statement.
Mount Sinai officials on Sunday refuted claims by striking nurses that patients have died during the walkout. Robert Miller for NY Post
“But our comprehensive planning prepared our hospitals to continue to be able to provide excellent, safe patient care – including the most complex cases – during NYSNA’s second strike in three years,” the rep said.
The retort comes after a striking nurse claimed that at least one patient had died after union members walked off the job seeking an upgrade in pay and benefits.
But in an email to The Post on Sunday, the city Department of Health said it had no record of such a death.
“The department has not identified any serious operational issues at this time,” an agency rep said. “The department will continue to review reported adverse events and findings by the department’s oversight teams, and conduct investigations as necessary to protect patient safety.
“The department does not speculate or comment on individual cases to protect patient privacy.”
Striking nurses said one person died after they walked, but union, hospital and city health officials dispute the claim. Robert Miller for NY Post
In a separate statement, union officials also walked back the claim.
“NYSNA is not claiming that any deaths directly derived from the strike,” the union statement said.
“Union officials and NYSNA members do not have any direct knowledge of specific incidents or overall conditions inside of the hospitals because we are outside on the picket line.”
According to hospital officials, the three affected private hospital networks — Mount Sinai, Montefiore and New York Presbyterian — have continued to perform high-level medical procedures, including liver and kidney transplants, nearly a dozen cardiac surgeries, a heart transplant and two double lung transplants.
More than 15,000 nurses and medical staffers from the largest private hospital networks walked off the job Jan. 12. Kevin C Downs forThe NY Post
“While the NYSNA strike is designed to create disruption, all our hospitals and emergency rooms are open, are accepting new patients, and continue to provide the high quality of care our patients expect from us,” New York Presbyterian officials said.
“We are delivering babies at roughly the same rate as before the strike started,” the company said. “Even during this time of seasonally elevated emergency room visits, our operations are running smoothly.”
The strike, which will enter its second week on Monday, is the largest in New York City history and the first since the union walked off the job in 2023.
The new stalemate between the three major medical systems and the striking nurses has been heated and acrimonious from the start — with one of the healthcare giants allegedly accusing the union of attempting to protect members who show up for work drunk or stoned.
Nurses at three major Big Apple hospital networks last walked off the job in 2023 — and did so again on Jan. 12 of this year. Matthew McDermott
The accusation came from brass at Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx, which accused the New York State Nurses Association of striking to prevent tougher discipline against inebriated hospital workers.
“NYSNA leadership’s demand that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job is another example of putting their own self-interest before patient safety,” Montefiore said in a statement to The Post last week.