SOUTHINGTON, Conn. — Bradley Memorial Hospital staff are demanding safer working conditions following multiple reported incidents.
"All I'm asking, and all we're asking, is for Hartford HealthCare to do the right thing," Joyce Pelletier, a respiratory therapist, said.
Pelletier is one of dozens of healthcare workers sounding the alarm on safety issues at the Bradley Memorial campus in Southington.
She and her coworkers said they feel on edge due to what they described as not enough staff or security to keep up with the increasing flow of patients. They are asking for a second security guard on the Bradley campus to help respond to threats.
“Other hospitals have security. They have the staff to deal with this. We don't have that staff. We have nurses, we have respiratory therapists, we have techs and one security guard," she said.
At a press conference in Southington Tuesday, hospital staff said they need more protection after recent clashes with patients turned physical. They said the problem is only getting worse due to a rise in patients with mental illness.
From 2011-2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found the violence rate against healthcare workers jumped more than 60 %.
"Every day we come in and it's a joy to be here. We don't want to sacrifice the safety of our patients and ourselves as well. We all have families and we want to take care of everyone the best we can,” another nurse said.
Representatives for frontline staff said they filed a complaint with the Department of Public Health to address concerns raised at Hartford HealthCare facilities.
The hospital chain, which is actively negotiating with union workers, provided the following statement:
“We have always believed, and continue to believe, the best path forward for everyone is to work together and find common ground," Janette Edwards, VP of operations at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, said. "That is why we have not once walked away from the negotiating table since we first began meeting in January. our latest offer includes a significant increase in wages, and the hospital has already agreed to several operational changes proposed by the union. We look forward to continuing good-faith negotiations with the expectation the parties can reach a mutually satisfactory compromise in the near future.”
Union members remain hopeful that those conversations result in permanent staffing and safety improvements.
"This hospital called these workers heroes during the pandemic and it's about time they start treating them like the heroes that they are,” Ed Hawthorne, president of Connecticut AFL-CIO, said.
Maintaining healthy staffing levels has been an ongoing challenge for hospitals across the country since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year in the U.S., the average hospital staff turnover rate was 20.7%, according to the NSI national healthcare retention and RN staffing report.
Bridgette Bjorlo is an anchor/reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at bbjorlo@fox61.com. Follow her onFacebook, X and Instagram.
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