Over 200 healthcare workers at nursing home facilities in Dunkirk, Eden, Salamanca, and Houghton are demanding contract negotiations and better pay, after their contract ended on Dec. 31. The nursing home facilities are owned by Personal Healthcare, a company in Tarrytown New York, and the staff say they have been faced with dire situations. "I mean we are using pillowcases to clean people because there are no linens and because there are no laundry staff to clean linens and people's clothes," said LPN Sondra Lamacchia who works at the Salamanca Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Lamacchia says that she has worked 16-hour shifts back to back for weeks.
