PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Local healthcare workers are drawing attention to what they are calling a critical staff shortage in their hospital.

Caregivers with Care New England Women & Infants Hospital in Providence took to the front of the hospital to make their voices heard.

Dozens, at some point, more than 100 people were outside chanting, "What do we want? Safe staffing! When do we want it? Now!"

They are a part of the New England Health Care Employees Union, SEIU 1199. They held picket signs, blew whistles, and beat on drums to call for an end to what they are calling "dangerous short staffing."

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Registered nurse and union liaison Kelli Price said everyone is exhausted.

"The staffing is horrible. You wouldn't believe the texts that we get every night. There's only two nurses on. They're drowning. People are getting burnt out," said Price. "They're picking up extra shifts. It's exhausting. We've been this way since COVID and it's just getting worse."

Caregivers said Care New England received $45 million in ARPA funding to use for things like recruitment and retention, but frontline workers are still struggling.

Women & Infants Phlebotomist Linda Burke said that according to the general assembly, 80% of the funds are required to invest directly in frontline workers.

"We'd like to sit at the table to negotiate the ARPA funds. We believe that is in the best interest of our patients of our community so that they can get the safe care that they need," said Burke. "We can have the staff that we need to provide that for them."

NBC 10 News received this statement from Women & Infants Hospital President and COO Shannon Sullivan. It reads:

"Care New England’s Women & Infants Hospital, like other hospitals across the country, faces staffing and labor shortages. The hospital, is, however, currently able to appropriately and safely staff its patient population. As always, hospital leadership continues to have an open dialogue with union leaders and employees on this matter."

Caregivers said the statement is untrue.

"We've been asking and asking and in the most recent meeting that we had with the hospital, they have once again refused to sit at the table with us and negotiate the allocation of those funds," said Burke.

Price said if recruitment and retention are not prioritized the future of the hospital may not look bright.

"I'm concerned that our hospital is going to fall apart. It's going to implode. We don't have the staff to take care of the patients," said Price. "We have literally been sending patients, babies to other areas to other states to be taken care of, Massachusetts to be taken care of because we don't have the staff."

Caregivers said they will continue to fight for change on the matter.