Mount Sinai Hospital Denies Claims of Patient Deaths During Nurses’ Strike

Officials from Mount Sinai Hospital on Sunday dismissed assertions that patients died due to a mass strike by nurses, asserting that they had ample qualified replacement doctors available.

The renowned healthcare institution, which manages three significant hospitals in Manhattan, noted that over 1,400 trained nurses stepped in seamlessly when 15,000 union nurses walked off the job on January 12. This allowed Mount Sinai and two other affected healthcare providers to continue their operations without interruption.

“We hope the New York State Nurses Association will end the strike so we can welcome back our amazing nurses as soon as possible,” officials from Mount Sinai stated.

In response to the striking nurses’ claims that at least one patient had died after the walkout, a city health department representative revealed there was no record of such an incident. “The ministry has not identified any significant operational issues at this time,” the official remarked. “We will keep reviewing reported adverse events and our oversight team’s findings to ensure patient safety.” They also specified that patient privacy prevented them from discussing individual cases.

Interestingly, union leaders later backed off their earlier statement about a death. They said, “NYSNA does not claim any deaths were directly connected to the strike,” acknowledging that their members, being outside the picket line, lacked first-hand knowledge of specific events or circumstances inside the hospital.

The three impacted private hospital networks—Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian—have continued performing advanced medical operations, such as liver and kidney transplants, various heart surgeries, and double lung transplants, according to hospital representatives.

“Even with the NYSNA’s strike aimed at creating disruption, our hospitals and emergency rooms remain open, accepting new patients and delivering quality care,” officials from NewYork-Presbyterian asserted. They added, “We’re delivering babies at nearly the same rate as before the strike, with smooth hospital operations despite the seasonal increase in emergency department visits.”

This strike, now entering its second week on Monday, marks the largest labor action in New York City history and the first since the union faced job losses in 2023.

The tension between the three major health systems and the nurses’ strike has been palpable and contentious since its inception. Montefiore Medical Center officials alleged that the union attempted to shield members from disciplinary action for arriving to work intoxicated.

“The request from NYSNA leadership that nurses not be fired for being under the influence while working illustrates a troubling prioritization of self-interest over patient safety,” Montefiore stated in a recent announcement.