Mount Sinai Nurses Rattled By Shooting Rally For Tighter Security

EAST HARLEM, NY — After a chaotic active shooter incident at Mount Sinai in East Harlem rattled hospital staff in November, a nurses' union rallied Thursday on Madison Avenue near East 100th Street for added safety measures at the hospital, including weapons detection systems at every hospital entrance and an immediate increase in security.

The union that organized the rally, the New York State Nurses Association, alleges that hospital management unfairly disciplined three staff members — writing up two and suspending one — who discussed the union's safety proposals with other staff and spoke to press.

Union representatives argue that the disciplinary actions amount to union-busting, as the nurses' contract is currently in negotiations.

"Mount Sinai’s unionbusting is disgusting, and the community should be concerned," Sophie Damas, a registered nurse and local union leader at Mount Sinai, said. "It is nurses' responsibility to speak up about our safety and the safety of our patients, and the hospital needs to listen, not discipline the nurses who are vocal advocates."

However, Mount Sinai Vice President of Media and Public Affairs Lucia Lee told Patch the disciplinary actions had nothing to do with the union's contract negotiations.

"Patient safety is our top priority. In this situation, these three nurses were disciplined after their own co-workers complained about them actively interfering with other nurses providing patient care in the emergency department," Lee told Patch. "While we look forward to continuing to bargain in good faith at the negotiating table, we value our nursing colleagues and could not risk patient care by allowing them to be distracted in their delivery of compassionate, world class patient care."

The union is demanding Mount Sinai remove the disciplinary actions from the nurses’ records, according to The City.

The push for added safety measures stems from an incident on Nov. 13, when a 20-year-old named Elijah Brown entered the hospital's emergency room entrance and threatened to shoot, before being escorted out by a guard, NYPD officials said.

Brown continued down Madison Avenue, where he aimed his gun at police officers, NYPD officials said. The officers shot and hit the man, and medics rushed the man back to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Mount Sinai is one of 12 New York City hospitals where NYSNA nurses are bargaining for fair contracts with an expiration date of Dec. 31.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.