NEWS: Sanders Asks Hospital Executives to Reconsider Decision Not to Testify at Senate HELP Committee Field Hearing in New Jersey on America's Nursing Crisis

Press Release

"I am disappointed that the executives at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital system, Mark Manigan and Alan Lee, declined to testify at tomorrow's hearing.

There are a number of questions that I wanted to ask them. I was particularly interested in having them explain to the committee how it happens that they could afford to spend some $90 million on traveling nurses, but somehow could not afford to sign a fair contract with their own nurses to increase patient safety at their nonprofit hospital. I was also interested in learning how they could afford to pay their CEO over $17 million in compensation in 2021, but apparently cannot afford to mandate the same safe nurse-patient ratios that have been in place in California for nearly 20 years.

We have been pleased to receive the written testimony from the hospital and that will be part of the record. But it is far more important that Mr. Manigan and Mr. Lee show up in person to respond to questions. I hope they will reconsider their decision not to testify."

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