Nurses who help save lives every day rallied Tuesday, saying the lives of themselves and their loved ones are the line due to severe understaffing.

The nurses say they're turning to elected officials for help addressing understaffing in New York City hospitals.

They are calling for passage of the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act. This would require an efficient nurse-to-patient ratio and more staff. 

Nurses rallied outside Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Tuesday and demanded change. 

“The role of a nurse is to provide care not to sit in a hospital bed needing care because they are overworked,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. 

Adams emphasized supporting healthcare heroes and respecting that the environment they work in goes hand and hand. 

“One day we clap, treat them like heroes...then the next day abuse them and treat them like zeros. You can't have it both ways,” said Adams.

In a statement, New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital says, "We greatly value our skilled and dedicated nurses who have done so much for our patients and the community during this pandemic and we will continue to support them. Despite unprecedented challenges, our heroic clinical teams continue to provide the safe and exceptional care New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital is known for."