Midwives of the New York State Nurses Association to Hold Information Picket Outside Elmhurst Hospital

Midwives of the New York State Nurses Association, together with their supporters, will hold an informational picket on Wednesday, July 28, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Elmhurst, Queens to sound alarm over work conditions and demand a fair contract.

In a press release, the New York State Nurses Association said the midwives at the Elmhurst Hospital have had no contract for more than two years and experienced only one raise in more than 10 years.

The union further noted that the midwives must also work overtime because of a lack of adequate staffing. The workers demand fair wages, continued patient safety, and to hire and retain additional midwives.

The union said medical residents, attending physicians, nurses, community members, and elected officials would also join the picket.

Elmhurst Hospital Midwives: 'We Have No Contract'

The midwives at Elmhurst Hospital are saving several issues like working without a contract for more than two years.

According to New York State Nurses Association, despite the absence of the document, the midwives continued to work and even have to work overtime due to a lack of adequate staffing. Under these conditions, the midwives said they could not hire or retain new hires.

"We are drowning - seven of us doing the work of 15 [midwives]," Elmhurst midwife Keeley McNamara said. McNamara also underscored that as midwives, they feel "profoundly disrespected and worried about the future" of their practice.

The duties of the midwives from the said hospital included prenatal care, triaging and managing the labor and deliveries, round-on and discharge patients who deliver at Elmhurst Hospital, and teaching midwifery and medical students and OB/GYN residents.

During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the union underscored that the midwives from the said hospital tended to COVID-positive mothers and babies. However, the said medical practitioners did not receive any hazard pay.

Chief Midwife Margaret Re said that their situation reached a point where they cannot retain their midwives and attract new ones with the workload they are experiencing.

"I cannot take a day off without burdening my fellow midwives," the chief midwife added.

Importance of Midwives

The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized that midwives should possess the skill of "knowledgeable and compassionate care" for women who can bear a child and infants from the stages of pregnancy.

The organization also highlighted that midwives were associated with improved quality of care and "sustained reductions" when it comes to newborn mortality. However, midwives who exert extra effort during the pandemic were let down.

The United Nations (UN) reported that just like other medical practitioners, midwives lack both protection for themselves and the pregnant woman and infants they tend to in the hospitals.

The UN noted that the work of midwives changed dramatically during the pandemic, but their work ethic was not affected.

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Written By: Joshua Summers

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