Good Samaritan Hospital Covid-19 Staff Compensation

To the editor,

While the CEO of Westchester Medical Center commands a salary of 2 million dollars, He has not given our front line health care workers hazard pay for working with COVID-19 patients. Its business as usual hospital administration all command the big salaries and the hands on people are ignored. W.M.C. runs Good Samaritan Hospital. Good Samaritan Hospital just received $39 million from the federal government to address COVID-19, question is will that money make it to the front line staff or merely be absorbed by inflated administration salaries? For many its the lack of respect and acknowledgement Administration has shown the staff. This past [Nurses Week] the Nurses were given a tote bag in acknowledgement for their work as nurses. This is an insult to the professional nurses who are on the front line doing all they can to care for our COVID-19 patients. All this while urging staff to use one mask a week.

Today [Thursday] the Hospital staff walked in front of the hospital [Route 59] , to thank the community for their support, while asking for support and acknowledgement from Hospital administration, which to date has been lacking. It’s a sad situation that the hospital staff need to ask for proper compensation, when the administration clearly lacks an understanding of everything the staff has and will continue to deal with in this COVID-19 crisis. The stress and work load at the hospital, and the stress of possibly transmitting [COVID-19] to their own family/friends. I personally would like to thank our local New York State Senator David Carlucci, who took the time today to show his support and concern for our hospital workers. Senator Carlucci walked and talked with many of the workers today in front of the hospital.

Sincerely,
Dave Veraja
Sloatsburg