Trevor Gjendem addresses a gathering of hospital staff members, supporters and elected officials Wednesday afternoon, in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Trevor Gjendem addresses a gathering of hospital staff members, supporters and elected officials Wednesday afternoon, in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Providence nurses: Patients, staff suffered as leaders ‘stood in silence’

A “leaflet action” was organized Wednesday, as nurses continued to speak out about staffing shortages and safety concerns in Everett.

EVERETT — Gina Noel works with patients fresh out of cardiac procedures.

She’s one of five nurses on her floor at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. If it was fully staffed, she would be one of 10.

Four to five nurses need to drop what they’re doing when a patient on the floor “codes,” or has a heart attack: one at the head for respirations, one giving compressions, one waiting to relieve the nurse giving compressions, one getting AED pads, one setting up an IV.

“Since that’s all of the nurses on the floor, when we have a code, who’s watching the other 20 or more patients that are acute cardiac patients that could be next to code?” Noel said.

It was one of the many stories nurses shared early Wednesday in a pair of demonstrations outside Providence’s two Everett hospitals.

Patients are waiting for hours in a chair in the hallway for treatment, nurse Trevor Gjendem said. Some never make it to a private room, Noel said. Instead they are treated on a bed in the hallway.

And they’re waiting days for a test they need “right now,” Gjendem said.

Gjendem was hired as a medical-surgical nurse. He said he has moved around a lot over the last few years.

“We used to be ‘orthopedics,’” he told a crowd. “Now we’re just ‘whatever happens.’”

Members of the Providence nursing staff make their way to the rally Wednesday afternoon, in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Members of the Providence nursing staff make their way to the rally Wednesday afternoon, in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Wednesday’s “leaflet action” was organized to continue speaking out about staffing shortages and safety concerns.

Providence issued a statement as nurses lined the sidewalk outside their two Everett campuses.

“We respect the rights of our caregivers to be part of a union and to engage in this action and other lawful activities,” the statement reads.

Providence officials argued staffing shortages “are due to the pandemic, exhausted staff, lack of a national talent pipeline, and about 100 patients at Providence Everett who are medically stable but do not have a safe place in the community to be discharged.”

They said Providence “has been hiring and filling open positions as fast as possible,” hiring travel nurses to fill gaps and offering caregivers “incentives to work extra shifts, recognition bonuses, and signing bonuses.”

Health care workers said Providence leaders aren’t doing enough to recruit or retain staff.

Some called for a reinstatement of extra shift bonuses, so staff can receive extra compensation for coming in on their day off. Many demanded hazard pay and retention bonuses to show appreciation for those who have stuck it out.

For every one or two nurses that are hired, Providence may be losing five, said Heidi DeBauge, a trauma nurse in the emergency room.

“Upper management has stood in silence as we’ve watched our departments hemorrhage nurses,” she said. “There’s no hazard pay. There’s no incentives. There’s no exit interviews to explore why their staff is leaving.”

DeBauge and others argued it’s hard to hire or keep nurses at Providence because most who are qualified “are refusing to participate in unsafe staffing, the mental toll, the poor quality of care that we’re being asked to provide.”

Over 120,000 people are licensed registered nurses in the state of Washington, according to a 2022 report. But according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest employment count, there are only about 60,000 registered nurses working full or part time in Washington.

“The primary challenge that Washington hospitals are facing is not related to the supply of qualified nurses,” the report states. “Rather, the challenge stems from difficulty retaining nurses.”

Ame Solomon, a lactation consultant at the Providence Pavilion for Women and Children, said a big part of her job is comforting young nurses who are burnt out. It’s common to see nurses start their shift at 7 a.m. and not have time to grab a bite to eat or use the bathroom until mid-afternoon, Solomon said. People are exhausted.

“It’s hard to keep the morale up,” Noel said.

Evelyn Orantes-Fogel starts the rally Wednesday afternoon, in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Evelyn Orantes-Fogel starts the rally Wednesday afternoon, in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Nurses from the hospital have been raising the concerns for over a month. They’ve made public comments at the Everett City Council’s weekly Wednesday meetings.

The demonstration came just days after Darren Redick, who had served as chief executive of Providence Swedish North Puget Sound for one tumultuous year, announced he would step down, citing personal reasons. His interim replacement is Kristy Carrington, who had served as chief nursing officer for Providence’s North division.

Last month, Providence Swedish received criticism for a tentative plan to move OB-GYN services from Swedish Edmonds to Providence Everett. Providence Health and Services, a Catholic institution, merged with the secular Swedish Medical Center in 2012.

Swedish leaders told Verdant Health commissioners the move would be a result of staffing shortages. In the first half of 2022, the Edmonds hospital lost 42 nurses, according to Swedish.

Meanwhile, the two Everett hospitals need to hire more than 250 nurses, Redick told the Everett City Council earlier this month.

On Wednesday, dozens of nurses spoke and passed out flyers with information on how to report unsafe staffing levels to the state.

“When workers speak, and speak up, and are trying to raise concerns, we should listen,” said Sarah Cherin, chief of staff for UFCW 3000, the union representing Providence health care workers.

State and local lawmakers including state Sen. John Lovick, state Rep. April Berg, Snohomish County Councilmembers Megan Dunn, Stephanie Wright and Sam Low and Everett City Councilmember Mary Fosse stood in the crowd Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Fosse said she and council members Paula Rhyne and Don Schwab were working with those nurses and their union to draft something in support of the nurses.

A van beeped while backing up in the Providence Pavilion for Women and Children. Solomon cringed.

“That actually sounds a little bit like the call bells,” she said, referring to a button that patients press to call a nurse for help.

“When you go home from work, you hear call bells, or babies crying,” Solomon told The Herald. “Being a nurse isn’t just being here for your patients. It’s really your life. It’s your lifestyle, everything. It’s your whole life.”

Supporters and staffer members gather to support the call for better working conditions at Providence Medical Center Wednesday afternoon, in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Supporters and staffer members gather to support the call for better working conditions at Providence Medical Center Wednesday afternoon, in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Isabella Breda: 425-339-3192; isabella.breda@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @BredaIsabella.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Jasmine Donahue talks about being a place for people leave messages when looking for family members, friends or loved ones on the street on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett extends deadline for homeless service facing closure

Hope ‘N Wellness must now comply with city zoning laws by April 30. The organization is “grateful,” its owner said, but still hopes for a permanent solution.

New Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce CEO CEO Wendy Poischbeg speaks at a kick off event on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Everett Rising’: Wednesday’s chamber luncheon to showcase a new era of growth.

The Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce is beginning its efforts… Continue reading

The Edmonds School District building on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds School District faces estimated $8.5 million deficit

The shortfall is lower than previous years, but the effects are “cumulative,” Superintendent Rebecca Miner said.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Hundreds rally against Trump on Presidents Day in Everett

People lined Broadway with signs and flags, similar to other protests across the country.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

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.