Elmhurst docs rally for new contract
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Doctors at Queens’ Elmhurst Hospital rallied on Tuesday as they called for a new contract with New York City Health + Hospitals. Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
Four years ago, doctors at one of Queens’ Elmhurst Hospital would hear the sounds of pots and pans banging as they made their way to and from work, where they were inundated with COVID-19 patients.
But on Tuesday, it was the doctors at the hospital who were making noise, calling for officials to support them in their pursuit of a new contract with the city’s hospital system.
Doctors at Elmhurst Hospital, known as the epicenter of the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, rallied on Tuesday alongside their union Doctors Council SEIU, saying that they want more than pot and pan banging from city officials as they negotiate a new contract.
The medical professionals, who spoke outside the hospital with a handful of local elected officials, say that staffing issues have made their job harder and that their compensation for their work particularly in the wake of the pandemic is inadequate. Both issues, they say, need to be addressed in their new contract with New York City Health + Hospitals, which runs Elmhurst Hospital.
The doctors say that they now are frequently working double and triple shifts as burnout among staff has led to high attrition rates. They also say that their salaries, which are low compared to other hospital systems, make it difficult to recruit new doctors to fill the growing gaps.
“We are here to send a message to Health + Hospitals and the mayor's office that you need to do a better job in recruiting, retaining and respecting the doctors,” said Elmhurst emergency room doctor Daniel Lugassy. “We are here today to demand a fair contract.”
Hospital doctors banged pots and pans, as many New Yorkers did for them at the height of the pandemic in 2020.Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach
Lugassy and his Elmhurst colleagues say that high workloads have led to burnout, which has in turn led to many doctors leaving the system, leaving holes in patient care.
“The doctors in the public health system serve the most vulnerable patients,” said Jasmeet Sandhu, an attending physician at Elmhurst. “A lot of my colleagues are leaving due to burnout…but because of staffing shortage, doctors are left with more patients to care for.”
“All the sub-specialties are struggling because we don't have enough doctors,” Sandhu added. “We had multiple endocrinologists leave due to burnout. They feel exploited. Our remaining endocrinologists are left with a long list of patients. One doctor is left caring for patients that were [previously] served by three doctors.”
In light of the shortage, patients have had to wait longer to see a doctor and have, in some cases, seen procedures needlessly delayed, the doctors claimed.
The loss of staff, and the lesser pay received by the public doctors, has led to recruiting issues.
“We have tried to recruit more doctors from these specialties, but what we offer is significantly lower compared to what other hospitals offer,” Sandhu said.
The worries come as doctors say their ER is seeing a higher patient volume than ever before, including during the pandemic.
Elected officials from Queens – as well as Brooklyn and Staten Island – rallied alongside the medical professionals on Tuesday, echoing their call to the city.
“The doctors who serve our communities deserve a fair contract,” said State Senator Julia Salazar, whose district includes a small portion of Western Queens. “This is your fight as physicians, as workers, but it is also the fight of all of us, as your neighbors, as your patients and as your communities.”
Other officials, including Assemblymembers Ron Kim and Zohran Mamdani and Senator Kristen Gonzalez, echoed the calls that the city needs to do more for healthcare employees.
“You're not asking for much, you're asking to be respected and be paid for what you do every single day,” said Kim. “Money and contracts should never be an issue.”
“The mayor, the city, they talk a big game, now is the time to step up,” Kim added.
The argument for more doctors is particularly relevant at Elmhurst, a community hospital which received national attention for its inundation of patients during the pandemic. It got so devastating at Elmhurst that freezer trucks were brought in to store the bodies of people who had succumbed to COVID.
“I don't have to tell you that Elmhurst was the epicenter of the epicenter,” said Lugassy. “As they were being overwhelmed, we all watched in the city as it was coming to us. Next, we saw the hundreds of lives that were dying each day.”
Doctors want more help, particularly as they say they feel left behind after all the support they received during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach
During those troubled times, it was not uncommon for community members to go outside and bang pots and pans at 7 p.m. during the shift change for doctors to show support for their frontline work, support the doctors feel has slowly faded away.
On Tuesday, the doctors banged their own pots and pans to “clap back” at Mayor Eric Adams and Health + Hospitals.
“They need to show us that the city respects us as frontline providers and respects the citizens that we care for,” said Lugassy.
The doctors contract technically expired in August 2023, and has been renewed every couple of months since then, doctors said.
A spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals said it has put pay raises on the table, and will continue to negotiate with the union representing the doctors.
“NYC Health + Hospitals values our doctors and the critical, high-quality care they provide to New Yorkers every day,” said a spokesperson. “In recent years the health system has made significant investments in its clinical workforce. While discussions are on-going with Doctors Council, our hospitals remain places our patients trust for their care.”
