Mother "extremely concerned" about baby in Brigham and Women's Hospital NICU as nurses strike looms
With the Brigham and Women's Hospital nurses strike looming in Massachusetts, some parents of newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or what's called the NICU, are sounding the alarm. They are worried that the care their infants are getting could be compromised when the nurses who know their babies best aren't there to take care of them.
Destiny Cosby says her son Desai is alive and growing in large part because of the nursing care he is getting at the Brigham's NICU. "As of today, [we've been here] 68 days," Cosby told the WBZ I-Team. "When he was born, he was 2 pounds 10 ounces and now he's 7 pounds I believe four and a half ounces. Now that he is off breathing support, it's now just about feeding and growing."
Worried about NICU care during strike
Destiny's husband is a soldier and is not with her. The new mom has been staying at the hospital around the clock, and only recently found out through the grapevine about the nurses strike. "I'm extremely concerned," Cosby said. "They haven't sent out an email, a message notifying us. No one from management has come down and been like 'hey we just want to inform you that this is what's going on.'"
Worried that the temporary nurses brought in during the strike may not have the same qualifications or experience that is needed for the NICU, Cosby said some families are being told their newborns will be transferred to other hospitals. "They're trying to force us to move and transport our babies," Cosby said. "My kid was born here, I trusted this NICU team, I trusted these nurses. I don't want a new team of nurses looking at my baby and not knowing what his cues are. Not knowing what his baseline of normal is."
A hospital spokesperson told the I-Team:
"We understand how stressful this moment is for NICU families, and we want to be clear: the safety and well-being of every newborn in our care remains our highest priority. Brigham and Women's Hospital will continue providing safe, high-quality NICU care throughout the work stoppage, supported by experienced clinicians and specialized NICU nurses. Families are not being asked to move their babies to other hospitals outside the normal progression of care that happens routinely in our NICU. If parents request a transfer, such as when a baby is ready and a move would allow the family to be closer to home, any transfer discussion would be based on what is medically appropriate and handled in close partnership with the family."
Additional work stoppage after one-day strike
More than 4,000 nurses will be on the picket line for the one-day strike on July 8. But in a letter to the union, the hospital said the impact of that job action will result in an additional work stoppage for four days.
Cosby said for babies in the NICU every second counts. "These NICU babies are so sensitive. These are innocent humans and it's just sad," she said. "I just pray that we come to a conclusion fast."
The main sticking point in the contract negotiations involve wages, health care contributions and investment in permanent staff instead of travel nurses.
