For months, the 1,700 frontline caregivers at Women & Infants have been urging management to engage in dialogue to find short and long term solutions to end the ongoing staffing crisis. At the same time that caregivers were struggling during the pandemic, former Care New England CEO Dr. James Fanale was paid $1.8 million in 2020, a 16% increase from 2019. Caregivers were instrumental in securing $45 million of ARPA funds through the Rhode Island state budget but continue to bear the brunt of an ongoing lack of stable, qualified caregivers. 

“Mothers and families come to CNE’s Women & Infants Hospital to receive quality healthcare – care directly provided by us – nurses, aides, techs, dietary, and others,” said Robyn Hamaker, a Registered Nurse in the float pool. “We are the ones who work long shifts at the hospital. We’ve worked through the pandemic and now through this dangerous short-staffing crisis. But something is very wrong when the CEO gets big bonuses and raises, but apparently they have no money to invest in hiring – and more importantly – retaining frontline staff.”

Because of chronic short staffing, Women & Infants caregivers have been mandated to work up to 24 hours straight, which can lead to fatigue, and increased chance of errors. SEIU 1199 members believe that short staffing has impacted the quality of care provided to women and newborns. Cumulatively, nurses are burning out and leaving the field at a rate not matched by recruitment efforts.

“I am concerned about staffing and patient safety for the holidays,” said Jessica Simpson, RN in the float pool. “In the LDR, where I work, we do not have nearly enough nurses scheduled, and when my coworkers and I asked management for a plan, we are met with a general lack of urgency and concern. Of course I want to be home with my family on Christmas Eve but I worry about the health and safety of mothers and babies in such circumstances. Nurses are killing themselves to make it look like nothing’s wrong, but something is wrong and that’s why qualified nurses are leaving in droves.”

To turn the corner on the staffing crisis, caregivers are calling on Care New England and Women & Infant management to hear their ideas on investing ARPA funds in critical workforce stabilization measures including competitive wage increases, safer staffing levels, free or reduced training and career development.

District 1199 SEIU New England represents 29,000 health care and service workers in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Southeastern Massachusetts. In Rhode Island, 1199 SEIU NE represents over 4,000 members. 1199 SEIU NE is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – a union of over 2 million members across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. SEIU has been a national leader in pushing the growing Fight for $15 and a Union movement.