On November 18, 2025, nurses from the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) gathered at City Hall to voice their concerns regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into clinical care at New York hospitals. The rally, which preceded their testimony before the city council, highlighted issues related to hospital safety and nursing conditions.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, who also works at Maimonides Medical Center, urged hospitals to cease investments in AI technologies that prioritize profit over patient care. She stated, “Now is the time for hospitals to step up and take patient safety seriously. We have seen hospitals like Mount Sinai try to obscure the extent to which they have prioritized their profit-making enterprises over the patients of this city. We are here to say that enough is enough.”
The nurses expressed their frustration through a newly launched website, NYC Hospital Greed, which aims to expose what they perceive as the prioritization of profits over patient safety. They specifically called on private hospitals such as Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and New York-Presbyterian to redirect funds from AI investments towards enhancing patient care.
Concerns Over AI’s Role in Patient Care
Hagans emphasized the challenges posed by the current healthcare landscape, particularly under the administration of former President Donald Trump, which she claims has negatively impacted healthcare funding and vulnerable patient populations. In her testimony before the City Council’s Hospitals Committee, she asserted, “The first front is against the Trump federal administration and its attacks on our most vulnerable patients and healthcare funding. The second front is against the private hospitals in our city, which are fighting against all the achievements nurses have made to stabilize the workforce and improve and protect patient care.”
In response to the nurses’ concerns, Maimonides Medical Center stated that it follows a rigorous review process for any new technology, including AI, ensuring that it is implemented under the guidance of medical professionals. The center noted that AI has the potential to enhance clinical outcomes and the patient experience.
Other facilities, such as New York-Presbyterian, echoed this sentiment, expressing interest in innovations that could improve diagnostic speed and accuracy, ultimately benefiting patient care.
Voices from the Front Lines
The rally featured testimonies from multiple nurses, including Denash Forbes from Mount Sinai West. Forbes criticized the hospital for spending $100 billion on AI technologies and software products without involving nursing staff in decision-making processes. “The nurses were not involved in this discussion and had no role in creating the facility,” she noted.
Forbes also highlighted the challenges posed by AI in patient care, stating, “When hospitals try to make cuts like this in safe patient care, mistakes are made, biases are amplified, and often more work is created.” This perspective underscores the nurses’ belief that AI, while beneficial in some aspects, can also introduce risks if not properly managed within clinical settings.
As the debate over the role of AI in healthcare continues, the nurses of NYSNA remain steadfast in their commitment to advocating for patient safety and improved working conditions in hospitals throughout New York City.
