I am a nurse at Providence Regional Medical Center. I personally worked on the covid unit during the first year and a half of the pandemic and I will never forget the support shown by this city during those early days.
This is why I feel the need to warn you about the current situation at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. We are not staffed adequately enough to care for this community. Units that would normally have four patients per nurse each shift are frequently taking seven to eight patients. The Emergency department is so backed up that patients are being housed in hallways. Sentinel events (events that can result in severe harm or death) are on pace to triple this year compared to pre-pandemic levels (doh.wa.gov: Adverse Events Facilities by Quarter Report 2006-23). This is not sustainable.
Your nurses are overwhelmed and overworked. The sense of moral distress is causing more and more nurses to leave Providence and some are leaving the profession completely. The nurses and UFCW 3000 are trying to get safe staffing language into our contract during negotiations. We are also trying to come up with solutions to attract more nurses back to Providence.
You will see us passing out leaflets during the next couple of months at various events. We would love to hear from you. We are trying to make our voices and warnings heard; so please make yours heard as well. At some point you or someone you love will most likely have to go to Providence. Help us make it a safe encounter.
George Frenz
Mount Vernon
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