Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Bronx Nurses Say Strike Aims to End Hallway Care, Press Hospitals on Safe-Staffing and Benefits
Summary
Two nurse practitioners who picketed as part of the citywide nurses' strike said the walkout — which began 01/12/2026 and involves about 15,000 nurses citywide — seeks enforceable safe-staffing ratios, relief from emergency-department overcrowding and protection of health benefits while negotiations continue with a mediator.
Roxanna Garcia, a nurse practitioner at Montefiore, and Hilda Haines Lewis, PhD, an adult nurse practitioner, told BronxNet’s Open that the ongoing New York City nurses’ strike — which started on Jan. 12, 2026 — is focused on patient safety and staffing, not only wage demands.
"Our emergency room is notoriously small," Garcia said, describing emergency-department overcrowding at Montefiore and saying patients are sometimes admitted to hallway beds with only curtains for privacy. "Patients should have a bed, a room, a bathroom, and a door, not a curtain and a TV in the hallway," she said.
The nurses said they want explicit safe-staffing language in contracts, with accountability so management faces consequences…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
