SYRACUSE — More than 1,600 teaching and research-center nurses at Upstate Medical University are set for an annual pay and benefits increase. SUNY-system administration has approved the increases. Recognizing the “tireless commitment” of the nursing staff, SUNY and Upstate Medical University worked with the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) to finalize the agreement, […]
SYRACUSE — More than 1,600 teaching and research-center nurses at Upstate Medical University are set for an annual pay and benefits increase.
SUNY-system administration has approved the increases. Recognizing the “tireless commitment” of the nursing staff, SUNY and Upstate Medical University worked with the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) to finalize the agreement, SUNY said in a news release.
SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras; Upstate Medical President Dr. Mantosh Dewan; and Wayne Spence, president of PEF, acknowledged the nurses’ work during the June 17 announcement held outside Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse.
The increase in compensation is part of SUNY’s and Upstate Medical’s efforts to increase the retention of nurses. The raise provides between $2,000 and $3,500 additional compensation a year for nurses, SUNY said.
Under the leadership of Nancy Page, Upstate’s chief nursing officer, Upstate Medical’s nurses “went above and beyond the call of duty” during the pandemic, some traveling to the hardest-hit areas in New York City and Long Island for “long stretches of time,” SUNY said.
“This has been an amazing year for our nursing staff,” Page said. “We cared for COVID patients, helped our fellow nurses at [Stony Brook], and achieved one of the highest accolades — Magnet designation — for our nursing care and quality. Nurses at Upstate have gone above and beyond every day with their time and commitment to Upstate and our patients.”
In April 2020, 46 nurses helped SUNY’s hospital in Stony Brook University as more patients needed care from the disease. As cases increased in the Central New York region later on, it was “all-hands-on-deck” helping patients, testing individuals, and eventually providing the COVID-19 vaccines as they became available.
“During the pandemic, Upstate demonstrated why SUNY has the most talented health professionals in the world, especially our nurses,” Malatras said. “The nurses at Upstate Medical are our heroes every day, and we can’t thank them enough — they are the heartbeat of healthcare. And, while we are pleased to provide this annual pay and benefits increase, we will continue to seek ways to reward their excellence. My thanks to President Dewan and PEF President Spence for their partnership in making that happen.”
