In a lawsuit filed April 26, a nurse alleges Providence Portland (Ore.) Medical Center wrongfully terminated him in 2021 after he raised concerns about inadequate staffing and patient safety.
The complaint was filed in the Multnomah County Circuit Court and alleges Benjamin Hoshour, BSN, RN, was wrongfully terminated in February 2021 after raising concerns regarding insufficient nurse staffing, patient safety and inaccurate timekeeping, according to the Lund Report.
In December 2020, Mr. Hoshour contacted human resources surrounding concerns about timekeeping documentation. Prior to his termination the following February, he alleges his discussions with HR were shared with his supervisor, the medical center's chief nursing officer. The suit also describes a situation in early February when the nurse was working an overnight shift and reported an incident after a patient had a heart attack and died while being transported to discharge.
The lawsuit claims that later in the shift, Mr. Hoshour shared his concerns about the health system's compensation policies and "its practice of filling all vacant beds despite staff shortages" in an email with two Providence employees who worked in a different facility. About a week later, Mr. Hoshour was terminated, according to the complainant. The nurse alleges his supervisor became aware of the concerns he had shared with co-workers and that he was wrongfully terminated.
"Patient safety is our highest priority at Providence, and we do not comment on pending litigation," Providence said in an emailed statement to Becker's.
Mr. Hoshour is seeking economic damages and a reinstatement of his former position, among other damages.