Nurses At Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Submit Strike Notice
By: Patrick Damp/KDKA-TV
KITTANNING (KDKA) - The nursing staff at the Armstrong County Memorial Hospital have informed management that they are set to go on strike.
For the past two years, the nurses at the hospital have been alerting management to staffing issues but have not been heard.
"Healthcare professionals enter the field because we care," said Maureen May, R.N., president of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals. "We are the primary advocates for our patients, and we don't walk away from that role lightly. But we will send a message, via a strike, that you have to do the right thing for your patients and your staff. This is our message, to the hospital, to the public, that we've had enough."
Over the past year, more than 40 nurses have left the hospital for various reasons, including short staffing, compensation, and burnout.
"A strike is the last thing we want, we love our patients and our community, but we want to provide uncompromised care, and we can't do that when the hospital is hemorrhaging nurses," says Cassie Wood a 12-year nurse at the hospital.
The nurses have been in contract talks with the hospital since July of 2021 and in January 2022, they voted overwhelmingly to strike, if necessary.
On Wednesday morning, a 10-day strike notice was submitted and the nurses plan to walk off the job at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.