Nurses at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, who had been without health insurance for more than 45 days, rallied Tuesday to demand their health care coverage be stabilized, directing their ire at hospital executives for failing to pay into their benefit fund on a timely basis.
The Brooklyn Hospital Center in Fort Greene has cited financial constraints and requested emergency funds from the state, according to the New York State Nurses Association. The hospital received millions in funding — more than enough to pay for nurses’ health coverage, but only made a partial payment on Monday that was enough to restore benefits for the short term, the union said.
Nurses at the safety net hospital averted a strike earlier this year when management agreed to a fair contract that protects healthcare benefits. Although the hospital promised benefits, they have since reneged on their promise, according to NYSNA. This has pushed nurses to make difficult decisions over the past month and a half, where many have sought out insurance on the ACA Marketplace or purchase COBRA coverage, while others are working without any coverage, hoping that the hospital pays their bills. Nurses and their families have put off essential doctor appointments and medications, the union said.
"My colleagues and I go to work in fear of the worst-case scenario, that we will get sick, injured, hurt, or our families will, and we won’t be able to afford out of pocket expenses," said Debra Ambrose, nurse leader at Brooklyn Hospital Center. "I am relieved that the hospital finally made the needed down payment to restore our health benefits, but we need to continue holding administration accountable, so this does not happen again."
The union says top hospital executives take home millions of dollars in pay, while frontline nurses who care for the Brooklyn community are forced to sacrifice their own health in order to care for patients. In 2024, CEO Gary Terrinoni brought in nearly $2 million in executive pay, and owns a luxury condo in Brooklyn, a mansion in Pennsylvania and a house in a golf and beach resort community in Delaware, according to the union.
“When hospitals break their promises to nurses, it’s patients who pay the price," said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans." The CEO put the lives of nurses and patients in danger, while mischaracterizing the hospital’s finances to the public. We should all be alarmed that this level of irresponsibility is behind the helm of such an important hospital.”
State Assemblymembers Emily Gallagher and Phara Souffrant Forrest, along with City Council Member Farah Louis, condemned the hospital system for stripping nurses' basic right to healthcare.
