Background:

Management at Lenox Hill Hospital, a part of Northwell Health, enacted a new model of patient care in the postpartum-baby unit in February 2018.  Despite nurses’ warnings that there was not enough staff to safely change to this model of care, Hospital management forced through the change.  Over the past 6 months, nurses throughout the maternal-child health division have been sounding the alarm bells.  Units including Labor and Delivery (L&D), Neonatal ICU (NICU), postpartum/couplet care, and the nursery have all been consistently short staffed throughout the last 6 months. Nurses have met several times with Lenox Hill Hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer, Irene Macyk, as well as Maternal Child Health Director Amy Marshall about the significant safety issues on the units.  Additionally, the nurses presented Hospital administration with a petition outlining the health and safety concerns present throughout maternal-child health. 

Most recently,  over 25 nurses met with CNO Macyk, Director Marshall, and other members of middle management to, once again, bring forth their concerns regarding the new model of care given the inadequate staffing.  Despite nurses speaking to serious, urgent safety concerns arising from a critical lack of staffing, management made NO commitments to increase staffing.  The ONLY commitment made was to review data over the course of another week and a half and “circling back.” Additionally, CNO Macyk attempted to punt the entire issue back to a “committee” that has zero decision making authority.  This response makes it crystal clear that the hospital administration at Lenox Hill Hospital doesn’t care about their nurses nor do they care about the safety of their patients.