Don't Blame Us

We have a three-ring circus going on at the hospital about three miles from my house and the nurses there want people to know that it’s not their fault and it won’t affect patient care.

In a story that appeared this past week in the local newspaper, two nurses and 300 compatriots signed a "love letter to the community." It assured residents that the nurses are separate from all the craziness, controversies and clouds that hang over the hospital’s board.

"We love this hospital dearly and we believe in the care we give," G.G. Salvatierra, RN, told a reporter. "We feel like the behavior of the board has humiliated the people who show up every day to give their very best. We want the community to know they don't represent us. We're still here doing our jobs.”

Salvatierra could be referring to the hospital’s CEO and eight administrators who were dismissed (with pay) several weeks ago by a new board, which then installed their people as interim administrators. There are unanswered questions about the legality of this grand sweep, although many hospital employees are glad to see the old guard gone. One reason: the previous board kept approving increased salaries, perks and bonuses for the CEO. Many said he didn’t earn them and doesn’t deserve them…but that’s another story.

The new board is seen as pro-union. The CEO-on-leave, of course, is not. The union was voted in months ago but has yet to become a visible force.

There’s more to this soap opera.

In the past, the board has been laughably dysfunctional. One female member physically assaulted other members and was forbidden to enter the hospital without an escort. A guard was assigned to stand watch during board meetings to help guarantee some order and safety.

The CEO has led two failed campaigns to get the public’s permission to issue bonds that would finance expensive (state-mandated) earthquake retrofitting. The voters axed the measures because the cost would be borne by only some of the residents who use the hospital.

Two recent blows: The state has denied an extension for earthquake retrofitting, and a recent report on death rates at California hospitals shows this on had higher-than-average death rates for acute stroke, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and craniotomies.

Those of us who live in the hospital district have grown accustomed to seeing startling headlines about the hospital once or twice a week. The ongoing saga has become a bit of a joke and we’re always waiting for the next fiasco. I can’t blame the nurses for wanting to distance themselves from the circus—for declaring that those who have the misfortune to enter the tent at least don’t have to worry that the nurses will take good care of them.

Do you think the nurses were right in distancing themselves from the business of running the hospital?

Do you think the public can discern between the work of nurses and the craziness and politics that can go on with hospital boards and administration?

Tell us what you think.