Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., continued picketing March 9 as their dispute with hospital management remains unresolved, both sides confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review.
Eight hundred nurses at Saint Vincent belonging to the Massachusetts Nurses Association began the open-ended strike March 8 over staffing and patient care.
Saint Vincent, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, prepared for the strike by hiring replacement nurses and said 115 nurses — nearly 15 percent of its nursing staff — crossed the picket line March 8 and joined replacement workers to continue patient care.
According to the hospital, Saint Vincent cared for more than 200 inpatients and hundreds of outpatients on the first day of the strike; did not cancel scheduled surgeries or procedures because of the walkout; and the emergency department continued to receive ambulances and walk-in patients. Saint Vincent said state officials were also on-site March 8 to ensure the hospital maintains appropriate quality and staffing.
Marie Ritacco, vice president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and a recovery room nurse at Saint Vincent, told The Boston Globe community members have shown support for the striking nurses and that the number of nurses who crossed the picket line were "much fewer than we anticipated."
The strike comes after 18 months of negotiations. The union said hospital management is not doing enough to address lack of appropriate staffing that jeopardizes patient safety. The hospital contends it listened to nurses and offered a proposal with a generous wage package, enhanced emergency room security and increases in staffing guidelines.
Nurses are scheduled to strike from 6 a.m. to midnight daily until an agreement is reached.