Dear Friend,

United Long Island Nurses Take Strike Votes and Deliver “Dear CEO” Letter to Northwell

Nurses from across Long Island are united and taking bold action to ensure they secure the fair contract that patients and nurses deserve. On Wednesday, Dec. 17, nurses from Northwell/Plainview and Northwell/Syosset delivered a “Dear CEO” Letter to the new Northwell CEO Dr. John D’Angelo. In the letter, nurses wrote that the “disconnect between [his] message of shared purpose, the actions of [his] bargaining team, and the reality of these contract proposals” was “disheartening and disillusioning.” More than 1,000 nurses from three Northwell facilities — Northwell/Huntington, Northwell/Plainview and Northwell/Syosset — have been bargaining for months and have been met with disrespect, delay tactics and major concessions. Patch covered the letter here. Meanwhile, nurses at all three hospitals have been taking strike votes over the past week and will announce the results on Tuesday, Dec. 23. To learn more about Northwell’s greed, visit our “Northwealth” site. Northwell nurses will continue to fight until they get the contract that Long Island communities deserve!

Happy Holidays From NYSNA!

NYSNA wishes nurses and their communities across the state a very happy holidays! Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah and a joyous Kwanzaa to all celebrating! May the holidays fill you and your loved ones with light, love and joy.

Private Sector Strike Vote Announcement

Across New York City, nurses at all 12 private sector hospitals have been busy holding strike votes. A yes vote gives NYSNA’s bargaining committees the authority to call for a strike in the event hospital management does not agree to the fair contracts that patients and nurses deserve by the contract deadline on Dec. 31, 2025. Nurses have been bargaining for months and have faced disrespect and retaliation for speaking out for safety and demanding better conditions for themselves and their patients. NYSNA will announce the results on Monday, Dec. 22, at NYSNA headquarters. Stay tuned for the announcement!

Meanwhile, our elected officials including Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani showed that they care about patients and the future of healthcare in this city by signing onto a solidarity letter that demands our private sector hospitals settle a fair contract. Read the letter and their words of support here. “We see fulfilling these demands as a pathway to protecting the health and safety of our communities,” they wrote. We could not agree more! New York Daily News and 1010 Wins covered the letter of solidarity. Visit NYC Hospital Greed to learn more about the campaign. We hope this sends the message that New York communities are united around the fight to protect healthcare for New Yorkers.

NYSNA Nurses at CVPH Honored at Annual Plattsburgh Holiday Parade

On Saturday, Dec. 6, NYSNA members from University of Vermont-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (UVM-CVPH) participated in the annual City of Plattsburgh’s holiday parade and rode on a member-decorated NYSNA float. On Tuesday, Dec. 16, during the nurses’ and healthcare professionals’ fifth negotiating session, Plattsburgh presented NYSNA members with a trophy for Best Community Group in Plattsburgh. In the photo above, UVM-CVPH’s smallest member, Rosie the Elf, holds the trophy. Congratulations to UVM-CVPH nurses on a well-deserved honor!

SPAN Wishes a Fond Farewell

We’re celebrating three extraordinary journeys as the Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) team bids farewell to three of its members. SPAN sends the best wishes to Tracey Brown, southern regional coordinator; Maureen Farrell, metropolitan regional coordinator; and Sandra Hair, SPAN office coordinator. After over a combined 20 years of tireless service, SPAN is profoundly grateful for their dedication, their compassion and the wholehearted way they showed up every day. We thank them for leaving a mark that will endure in every corner of the SPAN program and a legacy of excellence and a culture of care that will continue to inspire us all. Best of luck to them in the next phase of their journeys.

Save the Date! Public Sector Nurses – Fix Tier 6

Join allies in Albany for a rally to call for legislators to Fix Tier 6. The action takes place on March 8, 2026, in the Albany MVP arena. You can join your fellow NYSNA members and allies to demand fairer pensions for public sector employees who are part of New York’s Tier 6 system. To sign up, click here.

Your Rights to Advocate for Patients When Encountering ICE

Nurses’ first duty is to care for and advocate for our patients. NYSNA nurses care for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status, income or insurance status, race, religion, ability or disability, sexuality, or gender identity or expression — simply regardless. Read our statement regarding the federal policy change on immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations,” including hospitals and schools.

Our allies at the New York Immigration Coalition developed this toolkit to provide a comprehensive list of resources for community members, partners and allies who work with immigrants. The toolkit covers health, community safety, family resources, financial empowerment and more.

Learn your rights and get answers to frequently asked questions here to know what to do if you encounter ICE officers in your facility.

NYSNA has also prepared this list of legal resources related to immigration. Please review and share widely.

NNU Nurses Demand Congress Take Action to Extend ACA Tax Credits

National Nurses United (NNU) continues calling on the U.S. Congress to vote no on pending legislation that fails to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that expire at the end of 2025. In letters to members of Congress, nurses demanded that they instead support the House Discharge Petition that would extend the ACA subsidies for three years. Nurses took action because they know that adequate coverage is essential to ensuring patients get the quality care they need. Without coverage, the healthcare affordability crisis will only worsen. Nurses are also demanding that Congress reverse $1 million in cuts to Medicaid and cuts to other critical programs that keep our communities safe and healthy. The stakes are much too high for inaction. To read more, click here.

Sign Up for New NNU Courses Free for NYSNA Members

NNU is offering FREE virtual courses for NYSNA members. New Winter/Spring 2026 courses have been added. View the full calendar and register here, or click on the links below to learn more and register for the courses you’re interested in. When registering for NNU courses, be sure to check the first box, “Yes, I am a CNA/NNOC/NNU member.”

Winter/Spring offerings:

• “Our Patients Are Safe When We Are Safe: Workplace Violence and Back Injury Prevention in Health Care Facilities”

• “Trust and Doubt in the Fight for Health”

Seasonal Flu Alert and Resources

Flu season in New York state has started with a bang. In addition to the expected A and B strains, an additional flu strain mutation (influenza A H3N2 mutated from a “J” subclade to a “K” subclade) has emerged recently. Subclade K has quickly become the dominant strain in the U.S. and a number of other countries. It is not unusual for mutations like this to happen, but because the flu vaccine must be produced many months in advance, this type of change can result in a mismatch between the seasonal flu vaccine and the currently circulating flu strains. While this means the vaccine’s effectiveness may be lower, it can still decrease the incidence of severe disease, hospitalization and death.

Read more on this year’s flu and how to best protect yourself here. If you have any questions or concerns regarding flu activity and infection control in your facility, please contact the NYSNA Occupational Health and Safety Representatives at [email protected].

Long COVID Guide

Read NYSNA’s Long COVID Guide to help you stay informed on the diagnosis, treatment options, benefits and rights for workers with long COVID.

Success Story From the NEP Classroom

The Nursing Education and Practice (NEP) team hosted an online live course titled “Correctional Health Nursing Standards of Practice and Certification Review” on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 to support correctional health nurses’ professional development. The program was specifically designed to support nurses working in correctional health settings by enhancing their knowledge, professional growth and care delivery standards. NEP conducted the course planning and delivery in collaboration with NYSNA Release Time Representative Ava-Joan Hinkson, DNP, RN, ACRN, OCN, and Area Director Cecilia Jordan, DNP, MS, GNP, ANP-BC, RN-BC, CLNC, ensuring they tailored the program to the unique needs and challenges that correctional health nurses face.

In overwhelmingly positive feedback, nurses highlighted the practical relevance, engaging curriculum and valuable collaboration in the program. One participant, S. B., RN., said, “as a new correction staff nurse, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this CCHP review. The review was an excellent forum to gain knowledge for test preparation. A combination of evidenced based practice information, real-life scenarios and discussions from experienced nurses was used for this two-day review. Kate Murphy was an excellent host that was available to assist in accessing the class and finishing the required assignment to successfully complete this course.” The successful delivery of this course demonstrates NEP’s commitment to supporting specialized nursing education, enhancing care quality in correctional healthcare settings and promoting continued professional development among members. The program also serves as a model for future online courses tailored to niche nursing specialties.

NYSNA NEP ACP Educational Needs Survey

We value your input! Your feedback is essential and will help us enhance the NYSNA Nursing Education Program (NEP) and create new continuing education opportunities designed specifically for our Advanced Clinical Providers/Practitioners (ACP) members. Please take a moment to complete our survey. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and we sincerely appreciate your time and insights. All responses are completely confidential and will directly inform the future programs and offerings we develop. If you have any questions, call 212-785-0157, ext. 377, or email [email protected]. Thank you for your participation in this survey and for your dedication to lifelong learning!

Reporting Child Abuse Course Addendum Is Live on E-LeaRN

NYSNA’s Nursing Education and Practice (NEP) is happy to announce that NYSNA’S NYS Child Abuse: Identification and Reporting, 8th Edition — Addendum online course is now live on our E-LeaRN platform.

Anyone who completed the NYSNA course, NYS Child Abuse: Identification and Reporting, 8th Edition, through the NYSNA E-LeaRN platform between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2025, is eligible to complete the addendum course with us. The addendum course is free for NYSNA members. If you are eligible, you may access the addendum course by logging onto E-LeaRN by clicking “Browse Catalog” and searching for “addendum.”

Every person who is required to take the mandated training related to child abuse must take either the full three-hour course or the one-hour addendum portion of the training by Nov. 17, 2026.

Check out the NYSNA website for the latest updates to this requirement. If you have any questions about your E-LeaRN account, please contact NEP at [email protected].

NEW: Call for Submissions! The Journal of the New York State Nurses Association

The Journal of the New York Nurses Association is calling for submissions. Authors are invited to submit scholarly papers, research studies, brief reports on clinical or educational innovations, and articles of opinion on subjects important to registered nurses. Of particular interest are papers addressing direct care issues. New authors and student authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts for publication. Read the latest flyer outlining submission categories here. Read the guidelines for submission here.

The latest volume of The Journal of the New York Nurses Association is out now! You can read it here.

Med-Ed Continuing Education Discount

NYSNA has partnered with Med-Ed Continuing Nursing Education to provide NYSNA members with full access to the complete Med-Ed catalogue at a 50% reduced rate. These are all self-study programs that members can access and complete at their leisure. You can access these course offerings by going to NYSNA’s members-only website here, then clicking on the Med-Ed website link, and entering the Promo Code NYSNAMEMBER at checkout, where the discount will apply.

Please do not share this information with any nonmembers.

2026 Nurse Education and Practice Workshops

The 2026 Calendar is now live! NYSNA members can take advantage of FREE E-LeaRN courses, including state-mandated offerings, standard of practice and certification review courses, as well as nursing practice workshops. Take a look at the 2025 complete course offering, and register for the courses directly here. You must create an account and be signed in to search the full catalog of classes and register for them at no cost!

Seminar at Sea 2026

Last year, NYSNA nurses sailed to Spain and Portugal while learning about resilience, emotional intelligence and how they connect to nursing. Next year, join NYSNA on an unforgettable weeklong cruise to China, South Korea and Japan set to sail in April 2026! This is an opportunity to visit beautiful countries while obtaining nursing continuing education credits and learning about the relevant and important topic of artificial intelligence in nursing practice and nursing education. Check out the informational flyer to learn about this unique and informative educational program.  

Calling All Nurse Practitioners

The NYSNA Nursing Education and Practice Department has added required and important educational offerings specifically for nurse practitioners (NPs). The courses include new, updated and mandated courses. Learn more and register for these classes for NYSNA NPs.

Nurses’ Rights to Be Whistleblowers and Protest Your Assignments

NYSNA members should be empowered with the knowledge of laws that have been passed with NYSNA’s input to protect them and empower them to speak up when patient safety is compromised, either due to unsafe staffing or other factors, such as a lack of personal protective equipment, as was the case throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Take a moment to learn about your rights in this flyer.

NYSNA Life Insurance — It’s Time to Designate Your Beneficiary!

NYSNA already provides members with a great benefit at no cost: Basic MetLife Life Insurance! This coverage provides $20,000 of Basic Life Insurance and $20,000 of Basic Personal Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance. All active members in good standing represented for collective bargaining through the union will automatically be enrolled in the plan. This union benefit is in addition to any other insurance provided by your benefits fund, your contract or through your employer.

But for your loved ones to receive this benefit, you must designate them as a beneficiary! To enroll and receive instructions on designating a beneficiary for your new Basic Personal AD&D Insurance, go to nysnawinstonbenefits.com or call 1-866-483-1124.

Sign up with your NYSNA Member ID to set up and access your account and benefits. If you need your Member ID, please contact the NYSNA Membership department at [email protected]. Download the flyer for additional details.

NYSNA Will-Writing Benefits From MetLife

The NYSNA Benefits Fund gives NYSNA members who are covered by the NYSNA Benefits Fund access to personal will preparation services that MetLife Legal Plans offer — at no additional cost.

Having a will prevents unnecessary stress and ensures final wishes are clear. The Benefits Fund offers valuable legal resources through MetLife Legal Plans to assist with creating or updating a will with a member’s Basic Life coverage. As part of this benefit, members get legal guidance and unlimited consultations with network attorneys. Learn more here.

NYSNA Members Are Eligible for AFL-CIO’s Union Plus Benefits!

The benefits of being a NYSNA member extend beyond your NYSNA benefits. As an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, NYSNA members are also eligible for Union Plus benefits to help current and retired labor union members and their families save money and support them through major milestones, celebrations and hardships. These benefits include discounts on wireless plans, credit card deals, mortgage deals, insurance plans and more! Find out more on the AFL-CIO Union Plus website.

The Talkspace Go App Is Mental Health on the Go!

The Talkspace Go app is a great resource that provides daily mental health support on the go! Talkspace Go is a clinician-created, self-guided app so you can address mental health challenges and build mental fitness on your own schedule. It empowers couples, individuals and parents to take progress into their own hands in as little as five minutes a day. Access 400-plus self-guided classes and live weekly therapist-led, anonymous classes. Enjoy assessments, meditation exercises, journaling, reminders and more.

Talkspace Go app is available at no cost to members and their eligible household members! Click here for the instructions and passcode to access the app.

Free Benefits for NYSNA Members: Union Assistance Program and SPAN

The Union Assistance Program (UAP) is a confidential self-help program, independent from NYSNA, that is available to NYSNA members and their families as a membership benefit. When an employee or family member (18 or older) faces a significant personal problem, they can call UAP’s experienced counselors at 800-252-4555 for assistance at any time. Read more information on phone counseling services here.

Check out the December 2025 newsletter here which features tips for a calmer holiday season.

Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) is a confidential education, support and advocacy program for all nurses licensed in New York state who are dealing with substance use issues. Visit the SPAN website for more information or to sign up for one of its upcoming classes. Check out SPAN’s new Compassion Project.

In solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director, NYSNA