WORCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester are coming to the negotiation table after being on strike since March 8.
Marlena Pellegrino, who has worked as a nurse at St. Vincent Hospital for decades, said the nurses are simply demanding better staffing.
"More nurses at the bedside, that's what we're looking for, that's what our patients need, it's become a crisis in that hospital," she said.
Pellegrino said patients are getting bedsores, falling, and not getting their medicine on time because of the low staffing levels.
However, St. Vincent Hospital CEO Carolyn Jackson said the hospital meets or exceeds national safety guidelines, saying in a statement, “We have always been ready to meet, but the MNA has declined. We’re prepared to sit down with them and work toward an agreement.” The hospital is managed by Dallas-based Tenet healthcare.
The strike has attracted the attention of Massachusetts political figures like Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.
The two sides both said they have new proposals, but the details are confidential. The nurses and Tenet will sit down to the first round of negotiations Monday afternoon.
WBZ's Suzanne Sauzville (@wbzSausville) reports:
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