A patient at Long Island Community Hospital says there isn't enough staff to appropriate care for everybody.

Carol Fitzsimmons, 70, has been at the Suffolk County hospital for a week to treat several health issues as she is battling COVID-19.

From her hospital bed, she told News 12 that there are only between one and three nurses for the entire floor.

"I get no care," Fitzsimmons says. "I turn around and I can push the button and push the button and push the button. Nobody comes at all."

Wendy Darwell, of Suburban Hospital Alliance, says burnout is a big reason why many caregivers are quitting.

Her group is actively trying to recruit more nurses to work in the state.

"Nurses and doctors and technicians and aides have all been doing extraordinary things for the last three years and that wears on people over time," Darwell says.

Dean of Stony Brook's School of Nursing Pat Bruckenthal says they have to reject qualified applicants because there aren't enough spots each year.

He says they are hoping to train more nurses through a partnership with Suffolk Community College.

"Their nurses, who are successfully obtaining associate degree, can then go out and work," Bruckenthal says. "And while they're working, come to Stony Brook and earn a Baccalaureate Degree."

News 12 reached out to Long Island Community Hospital Monday about Fitzsimmons' situation.

They would not comment on that or reveal their staffing ratios, but a spokesperson said they would check to make sure Fitzsimmons gets the care she deserves.

https://longisland.news12.com/study-100-of-new-york-hospitals-report-nursing-shortages-that-they-cannot-fill