At least 1,500 nurses at two hospitals in the Philadelphia area say they plan to strike, according to a spokesperson with the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP).

Nurses at Einstein Medical Center and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children remain unable to reach an agreement on new contracts with their parent health groups, according to a Nov. 5 PASNAP release, 6abc.com is reporting.

Einstein Healthcare Network owns Einstein Medical Center and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children is owned by Drexel University College of Medical at Tower Health, the story said.

The nurses say they are striking largely because they feel they have been “pushed to the brink by unsafe staffing that seriously undermines patient safety,” the release said.

Nurses represented by PASNAP also have officially given 10-day strike notices to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Bucks County and Mercy Fitzgerald Medical Center in Delaware County, the story said.

A PASNAP spokesperson said both of those negotiations are close to a settlement, the story said.

(c)2020 The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.)

First Published: November 13, 2020, 8:49 a.m.