Safe staffing enables patients to get the care they deserve when hospitalized — and it must be locked in by legislation.

“You have different skills, certification and education, but you all have the ability to stand up in the middle of chaos — no matter how crazy it gets — and say, ‘This person matters,’” Anne Goldman, the head of the Federation of Nurses/UFT and the UFT vice president for non-DOE members, told the nurses attending the union’s sixth annual Nurse Recognition Day on April 30.

Members of the Federation of Nurses/UFT at Staten Island University Hospital South on March 29 overwhelmingly ratified a contract that includes their top priorities: an increased nurse-to-patient ratio and preservation of their UFT Healthcare Chapter Benefit Fund benefits.

Nurses organized by the UFT will not cross picket lines or work overtime as a replacement worker at Staten Island University South/Northwell Health.

Licensed practical nurses at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York — members of the Federation of Nurses/UFT — unanimously ratified a two-year contract on Jan. 30 that provides for the largest salary increase in the history of the chapter.

Our goal is to provide excellent care and help patients achieve their optimum level of functioning. To reach that goal, we are committed to achieving staffing levels in hospitals that provide for safe patient care.