Members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association at Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital plan to hold an informational picket Feb. 1 to highlight their concerns related to patient care and working conditions at the facility.
The informational picket, which is not part of contract negotiations, is scheduled for the same week that representatives of the national nursing Magnet Recognition Program are slated to visit Brigham and Women's Hospital, part of Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham. The hospital was designated as a Magnet organization in 2018 and is applying for re-designation, according to its website.
Union members contend in a Jan. 30 news release that hospital administration is prioritizing profits over the needs of nurses and patients. They specifically cite hundreds of staffing reports they say nurses filed documenting times when patient safety was jeopardized due to shortages of nurses or support staff. They also allege that working conditions have deteriorated since the union and hospital reached a contract last year.
"We see a for-profit, corporate mindset infecting the Brigham, its labor-relations and the quality of our patient care conditions," Jim McCarthy, a post anesthesia care unit nurse and Brigham and Women's Hospital MNA vice chair, said in the union release. "With its constant expansion and ever-rising executive compensation, MGB is failing to prioritize frontline staff and patients. Our nurses are infuriated by these changes and are joining together on Feb. 1 to stand up for what is right."
A hospital spokesperson shared the following statement with Becker's: "Providing high-quality, safe and compassionate care to our patients is at the very core of our mission. We deeply value our nursing staff whose expertise and skill benefit all who come through our doors. While hospitals and healthcare organizations nationwide are facing unprecedented staffing challenges and pandemic-related fatigue, we've implemented a multifaceted response to these challenges related to patient volume, acuity and staffing to best support our incredible staff while providing comprehensive care to patients during what is an extremely challenging period in healthcare nationwide."