Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester say their working conditions are endangering patients
WORCESTER - Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester are calling for change, saying their working conditions are dangerous and endangering patients.
Representatives of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) said the hospital is several hundred nurses short of a full staff, with more on their way out. Nurses claimed they're regularly expected to take on six patients at a time, when their contract outlines a maximum of four or five patients per nurse.
One nurse who recently left the hospital said her co-workers were suspended shortly after raising complaints to management. Across the board, hospital staff said their biggest concern is the wellbeing of their patients.
"The complaints document that on too many days, on too many shifts, too many of our patients are left unattended and unmonitored," said Marlena Pellegrino, the co-chair of the Saint Vincent Hospital Local Bargaining Unit. "They are not receiving their medications on time or at all, they are pushing call buttons writhing in pain, waiting for a nurse who wants to respond and be at their side but can't because they're taking care of too many other patients or because no nurse has been assigned to watch over them."
This isn't the first time nurses have clashed with the hospital. In 2021, they were involved in the longest nurse strike in state history, which was resolved 10 months later in early 2022.
Saint Vincent Hospital is owned by Tenet Healthcare. WBZ TV reached out for a statement on the nurses' claims but didn't hear back at the time of writing.