Non-union metro hospitals prepped to handle more patients amid nurse strike
MINNEAPOLIS -- There are three hospitals in the area that are not impacted by the nurses strike. Now those hospitals are doing to make sure the needs of patients and families are met.
With more than 15,000 nurses walking the picket line, it's is the largest nurses strike in the country.
"They need to pay the nurses more. The nurses need to stay on strike until they pay more," said LeeShay Walker.
Walker and Christopher Osorio receive their care from Hennepin Healthcare. While nurses there are represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association, it is a "safety net" hospital, so they are prohibited from striking. Regions Hospital in St. Paul and Maple Grove Hospital are both non-unionized hospitals.
"I live here on Portland and it's, like, so many ambulances," said Walker.
Walker says in the past week or so she has seen increased traffic in and out of the emergency area at Hennepin Healthcare. The hospital says it has seen higher volumes for the past few weeks and that continues to be the case Monday.
Maple Grove Hospital says it too has seen an increase in activity, which was expected and planned for in anticipation of the Minnesota Nurses Association strike impacting other area hospitals.
"They are going to start fluctuating this way probably wherever things are open. They are going to come to that, but at the same time I am happy that they are open," said Christopher Osorio.
In a statement, Hennepin Healthcare says it is "monitoring volumes and working actively to move people to the right level of care."
Maple Grove Hospital too has a plan in place and extra staff to ensure high-level care is given to all who pass through its doors.
Non-union hospitals say they are prepared to handle additional patients and their families for the days MNA will be out on strike.
[Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said that Hennepin Healthcare was a non-union hospital. This was incorrect.]