Leominster nurses to picket
In an ongoing fight over proposed staffing cuts, nurses at HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster will picket Wednesday, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), the union representing the nurses.
The picket was scheduled take place from 2 to 4 p.m. The hospital has begun reducing nursing staff in the emergency department, according to the MNA, which said the hospital also plans to increase nurses’ patient assignments on the night shift from five to six while merging the pediatric, labor and delivery, and maternity units. All that could increase the risk of death for patients, according to the MNA.
In June, HealthAlliance announced that by Sept. 30, the end of its fiscal year, it would cut staff, which the nurses' union said amounted to about 20 full-time-equivalent positions. The hospital cited declining patient volumes.
In an e-mail statement, HealthAlliance spokesman Kelli Rooney said plans to reduce staffing are proceeding as planned. Rooney said the hospital is complying with its contract with the MNA by following a “detailed process” required when positions are cut.
“With unwavering focus on quality patient care, coupled with the long-term perspective of efficient, cost effectiveness, HealthAlliance is moving forward with the same plan originally announced. These changes will serve to bring all hospital departments in line with our fair and consistent staffing methodology. Numerous other hospital departments experienced aligning staffing to volumes earlier this year and have been operating with revised staffing in some cases over the past year,” Rooney wrote.
Like most Massachusetts hospitals, HealthAlliance has seen its operating surplus decline significantly in the last couple of years. In the third quarter ended in June, HealthAlliance had a surplus of $810,495, compared with a $4.16 million surplus for the full fiscal 2013 year, according to data published by the state Center for Health Information and Analysis.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments