A delegation of registered nurses at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Mass., delivered a petition to hospital administration on Feb. 2, calling for better pay and improved staffing, according to The Daily News of Newburyport.
The petition was signed by 270 of the 339 (about 80 percent) of nurses working at the hospital, which is affiliated with Cambridge, Mass.-based Beth Israel Lahey Health, according to a news release from the nurses' union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
According to the release, which was shared with Becker's, the petition reads in part: "We are in a worsening staffing crisis at Anna Jaques. We RNs and co-workers are struggling to provide the best care to the people of this community we love, and we are failing. The hospital is losing staff and is not recruiting. We need executives to listen to us and to manage solutions."
The petition also outlines nurses' concerns, including that "nurses at Anna Jaques are the lowest paid in the Merrimack Valley and are leaving for surrounding hospitals, where conditions like staffing and compensation are much better."
Additionally, the nurses, who delivered the petition one year after delivering a similar one, called on hospital management to negotiate a temporary extra shift bonus with the Massachusetts Nurses Association to encourage nurses to pick up shifts at Anna Jaques, instead of at surrounding facilities.
The hospital pushed back on the union members' claims, citing a recent Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association survey showing that the vacancy rate for unfilled nursing positions at the hospital (6.7 percent) is significantly lower than the average in Massachusetts (13.4 percent). The hospital also cited its hiring of 99 registered nurses since Jan. 1, 2021. Additionally, the hospital pointed to a three-year contract between Anna Jaques and the union, which is in place through the end of this year and provides negotiated wage increases during 2023.
"Anna Jaques Hospital has provided exceptional care to our patients and the Newburyport community for nearly 140 years," Richard Maki, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing officer of Anna Jaques, said in a statement shared with Becker's. "We are deeply proud of the high-quality care we deliver and the talented clinicians and staff who make it possible.
"Hospitals and healthcare organizations across the country are facing unprecedented workforce challenges. Our wages are market-competitive, and we have robust programs in place to recruit, retain and support our hardworking nurses and other clinical staff."