Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. (Olivia Vanni/The Herald)

Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. (Olivia Vanni/The Herald)

At Providence Everett, news of a nurses strike adds to worry for patients

After Everett nurses gave the hospital a 10-day strike notice Friday, questions loom for patients like Richard Phelps.

EVERETT — Richard Phelps has spent over a month at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett with life-threatening complications after being hit by a car.

If that wasn’t stressful enough, the 1,400 nurses who provide essential care for Phelps and other patients gave the hospital a 10-day strike notice Friday night.

Nurses at Providence Everett gave the notice after what they characterized as a long, unsuccessful day of contract negotiations.

Last month, 97% of voting union members authorized a potential strike if the two sides didn’t strike a deal by Friday.

“We’re not taking a strike lightly,” nurse Kelli Johnson said Wednesday. “We understand patient concerns.”

Phelps, 67, said he supports the nurses and their right to strike. But a walkout means he would likely need to seek a transfer to a different hospital, he said.

“I’m trying to get better,” he said before Friday’s strike news. “If they don’t have the people to enable that, then I have to go.”

Patients can expect to have an “uninterrupted care experience” if nurses walk out, Providence spokesperson Erika Hermanson said.

The hospital has contracted with a staffing agency to replace registered nurses in case of a strike. Hermanson declined to provide an exact number of replacement nurses or labor costs, but said a strike would be “expensive.”

Johnson said she would not be concerned with nurses crossing the picket line. It would be a bigger concern if Providence is more willing to pay upfront costs for a nurse strike than agree to staffing language in the contract, she said.

Phelps has felt the impact of low staffing during his recovery — it can take hours to get food or have his bathroom needs met, he said.

“Nurses try very, very hard,” he said. “I can’t say enough good about the nurses, but what’s expected of them is not realistic or good patient care.”

Everett and South County firefighters have also gone public about the staffing crisis at Providence. Firefighters wait up to three hours to drop off emergency patients at Providence, said Don Huffman, a firefighter and president of the Everett Fire Department’s union.

“We 100% stand behind the nurses,” Huffman said.

At times, all Everett firefighters are tied up and can no longer respond to 911 calls, he said. Fire departments from other cities have to step in.

“Patients already can’t get care,” Huffman said. “A strike would ensure patients could get better care moving forward.”

Most, if not all, of the hospital units are understaffed, Chief Nursing Officer Michelle Lundstrom said last week. The hospital is moving toward a new staffing model to make it easier for nurses to take on more patients, she said.

Providence nurses and some experts question the proposed staffing model, saying more than four or five patients per nurse is “unsafe.”

Phelps agrees nurses have too heavy of a workload. On Wednesday morning, his wife, Lisa, found him slouched in bed with “alarmingly” low blood pressure and oxygen.

“The communication is horrible,” she said. “But it’s not the nurses’ fault.”

Phelps is now well enough to breathe without a ventilator and eat without a feeding tube. Nurses transferred him from the Intensive Care Unit to a general care floor this week.

“‘Hell’ is the best way to describe it,” he said.

The way Providence approaches staffing, he said, is “misguided” and puts profit over patients.

“There are many things that need to be worked on here,” he said. “Cutting costs is not one of them.”

Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @_sydneyajackson.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Janet Garcia walks into the courtroom for her arraignment at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Monday, April 22, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett mother found competent to stand trial in stabbing death of 4-year-old son

A year after her arraignment, Janet Garcia appeared in court Wednesday for a competency hearing in the death of her son, Ariel Garcia.

Everett council member to retire at end of term

Liz Vogeli’s retirement from the council opens up the race in the November election for Everett’s District 4 seat.

Washington State Department of Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn speaks during the Economic Alliance Snohomish County’s Annual Meeting and Awards events on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 in Tulalip, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Commerce boss: How Washington state can make it easier for small businesses

Joe Nguyen made the remarks Wednesday during the annual meeting of the Economic Alliance Snohomish County and the Snohomish County Awards

LifeWise local co-directors Darcie Hammer and Sarah Sweeny talk about what a typical classroom routine looks like on Monday, April 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett off-campus Bible program draws mixed reaction from parents

The weekly optional program, LifeWise Academy, takes children out of public school during the day for religious lessons.

An EcoRemedy employee checks a control panel of their equipment at the Edmonds Wastewater Treatment Plant on Thursday, April 17, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds launches technology to destroy PFAS

Edmonds is the first city in the country to implement… Continue reading

Mary Ann Karber, 101, spins the wheel during Wheel of Forunte at Washington Oakes on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lunch and Wheel of Fortune with some Everett swinging seniors

She’s 101 and he’s 76. At Washington Oakes, fun and friendship are on the menu.

Founder of Faith Lutheran Food Bank Roxana Boroujerd helps direct car line traffic while standing next to a whiteboard alerting clients to their date of closing on Friday, April 25, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Faith Food Bank to close, replacement uncertain

The food bank’s last distribution day will be May 9, following a disagreement with the church over its lease.

Christian Sayre sits in the courtroom before the start of jury selection on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Jury selection begins in latest trial of former Everett bar owner

Opening statements for Christian Sayre’s fourth trial are scheduled for Monday. It is expected to conclude by May 16.

Ian Terry / The Herald

Zachary Mallon, an ecologist with the Adopt A Stream Foundation, checks the banks of Catherine Creek in Lake Stevens for a spot to live stake a willow tree during a volunteer event on Saturday, Feb. 10. Over 40 volunteers chipped in to plant 350 trees and lay 20 cubic yards of mulch to help provide a natural buffer for the stream.

Photo taken on 02102018
Snohomish County salmon recovery projects receive $1.9M in state funding

The latest round of Climate Commitment Act dollars will support fish barrier removals and habitat restoration work.

Fosse will not seek reelection; 2 candidates set to run for her seat

Mason Rutledge and Sam Hem announced this week they will seek the District 1 City Council position.

A few significant tax bills form the financial linchpin to the state’s next budget and would generate the revenue needed to erase a chunk of a shortfall Ferguson has pegged at $16 billion over the next four fiscal years. The tax package is expected to net around $9.4 billion over that time. (Stock photo)
Five tax bills lawmakers passed to underpin Washington’s next state budget

Business tax hikes make up more than half of the roughly $9 billion package, which still needs a sign-off from Gov. Bob Ferguson.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Brier in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Brier police levy fails; officials warn current staffing is not sustainable

With no new funding, officials say the department will remain stretched thin.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.