In light of new potential budget funding, an extreme hiring bottleneck and outrageous executive payouts, caregivers demand greater transparency of hospital spending
The proposed study commission would include hospital workers, patient advocates, the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, the Department of Health, Attorney General’s Office, an organization of nurse leaders, an expert in workforce development and labor representatives. It would provide an avenue for greater transparency for how Care New England and other hospital systems spend public tax dollars amid a chronic staffing crisis that stretches across the hospital system.
Cassie White, Registered Nurse in the Mother-Baby Unit
We should all be concerned about how our hospital makes its financial decisions because we see the impact each and every day in our work. We want to provide meaningful care but the workload and short staffing often forces us to rush from room to room. We have heard some patients even describe the hospital as a “baby factory,” which is heartbreaking to hear. Instead of paying its former CEO over a million dollars a year in retirement benefits, CNE should focus on hiring enough staff to safely deliver care.
- Cassie White, Registered Nurse in the Mother-Baby Unit.
Despite their assertions of economic scarcity, the latest tax filings tell a different story. In 2024, former Care New England CEO and President, James Fanale received almost $1.5 million in total retirement compensation following over $2 million in 2023.
Monica Silva, Transporter
I started as the hospital's inaugural transporter approximately two and a half years ago. Despite the role's expansion well beyond the initial surgical unit to include the NICU, triage, discharges, and up to nine different units daily, the hospital still only schedules a single transporter per shift. This demand is impossible for one person to manage alone. Care New England needs to stop overlooking the critical need for frontline staffing.
- Monica Silva, Transporter
With millions of proposed additional funding and a Medicaid reimbursement rate increase for hospitals in the state budget, caregivers know now is the time to demand accountability for how that money is spent - not on golden parachute payments, but ensuring every unit is appropriately staffed to ensure safe, quality patient care.
####
District 1199 SEIU New England represents 29,000 health care and service workers in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Southeastern Massachusetts. In Rhode Island, 1199 SEIU NE represents 7,500 members.1199 SEIU NE is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – a union of over 2 million members across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.
