RI Hospital Nurse Strike Begins Monday

CRANSTON, RI — Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children's Hospital nurses are going on strike at 3 p.m. after the most recent negotiations fell apart with lifespan ended Monday morning with no resolution. More than 2,400 union members will carry through with the strike, the union said.

The strike is expected to last four days. The state is licensing 1,400 replacement workers.

The emergency room at Rhode Island Hospital will continue to accept patients who walk in. However, emergency medics will only take certain types of cases to the emergency rooms at Hasbro Children's and at Rhode Island Hospital, the state said. These cases include burn, trauma, cardiac and respiratory arrest and pediatric cases. Other types will be sent to other hospital emergency rooms.

Stroke patients will go to the nearest of the state's six primary stroke centers, and not to the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Rhode Island.

All elective services and "non-urgent" tests will be rescheduled.

Margo Sullivan, Patch staff, contributed to this report

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