MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – More than 500 dedicated union hospital workers and their allies picketed on November 7, calling on Garnet Health to invest in frontline workers and patient care, raising wages and benefits to relieve troubling short staffing at the hospital. Workers say turnover and Low Staffing Reach Crisis Levels. After months contract negotiations, 1199SEIU members want to bring their message to Garnet Health Medical Center management and the community: it’s time to end the staffing crisis that threatens patient care at the Middletown hospital. In 2023, Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown experienced a 16% spike in emergency room wait times, clocking in at an average of 254 minutes, a whopping four-and-a-half hours and more than an hour and a half longer than the national average according to an article in the Journal News.