Nurses at a Delaware County hospital went on strike just after 7 a.m. Around 500 nurses are picketing outside the Crozer-Chester Medical Center Sunday morning.
The Crozer-Chester Nurses Association first gave official notice of a walkout earlier in the month. The union represents nearly 600 nurses at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
The nurses have been working without a new contract since June. Union leaders say they want improvements to the patient to nurse ratio as well as improvements to pay and retirement benefits.
"The primary sticking point is staffing," said Bobbi McClay, president of the union.
McClay tells NBC10 she's never seen so many patients assigned to one nurse in her 38-year career.
"In the maternity area there has been an incident where they've had nine patients and they're caring for an infant and the mother," McClay said. "In the ICU you're supposed to be two to one. In the recovery room there were two nurses that recovered 11 patients the other day."
The union also says members are concerned about safe staffing levels, citing anecdotes of patients waiting for hours to be transported to various units. Crozer officials say staffing levels rank above average and in many cases in the top third of hospitals.
Health system officials say they are concerned about the institution's financial health, citing a $32 loss during the last fiscal year due to declining reimbursements and patient volume.
Officials at Crozer-Chester say they're calling in backup nurses.
"We have a contingency staffing plan in place," a spokesperson for Crozer-Chester wrote in a released statement. "Licensed, certified and trained nurses will provide care for patients and their families at Crozer. We are disappointed that the union has taken this action."
Union officials say they plan to strike for most of next week. They also plan to hold a rally Monday night.
