Officials at Mount Sinai hospital on Sunday refuted claims that patients have died as a result of a massive nurses\u2019 strike \u2014 and said they had more than enough qualified replacements ready to step in.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> on Jan. 12, allowing Mount Sinai and two other impacted Big Apple health care companies to continue to save lives.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope [New York State Nurses Association] ends its strike so we can bring our incredible nurses back as soon as possible,\u201d a Mount Sinai rep said in a statement. <\/p>\n Mount Sinai officials on Sunday refuted claims by striking nurses that patients have died during the walkout. Robert Miller for NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cBut our comprehensive planning prepared our hospitals to continue to be able to provide excellent, safe patient care \u2013\u00a0including the most complex cases \u2013 during NYSNA\u2019s second strike in three years,\u201d the rep said.<\/p>\n The retort comes after a striking nurse claimed that at least one patient had died<\/a> after union members walked off the job seeking an upgrade in pay and benefits.<\/p>\n But in an email to The Post on Sunday, the city Department of Health said it had no record of such a death.<\/p>\n \u201cThe department has not identified any serious operational issues at this time,\u201d an agency rep said. \u201cThe department will continue to review reported adverse events and findings by the department\u2019s oversight teams, and conduct investigations as necessary to protect patient safety. <\/p>\n \u201cThe department does not speculate or comment on individual cases to protect patient privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n Striking nurses said one person died after they walked, but union, hospital and city health officials dispute the claim. Robert Miller for NY Post<\/p>\n In a separate statement, union officials also walked back the claim.<\/p>\n \u201cNYSNA is not claiming that any deaths directly derived from the strike,\u201d the union statement said. <\/p>\n \u201cUnion 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.\u201d <\/p>\n According to hospital officials, the three affected private hospital networks \u2014 Mount Sinai, Montefiore and New York Presbyterian \u2014 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n \u201cWhile 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,\u201d New York Presbyterian officials said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are delivering babies at roughly the same rate as before the strike started,\u201d the company said. \u201cEven during this time of seasonally elevated emergency room visits, our operations are running smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n