news story / By Heidi Walters

Locked Out

Suspended St. Joe’s nurses still waiting for answers

(July 2, 2009)  It’s been two weeks now since St. Joseph Hospital suspended four night shift intensive care unit nurses and a supervisor, and the nurses, their union representative and the community at large still remain in the dark as to what prompted the suspensions.

In a brief statement, St. Joseph’s administration offered only that it does not discuss personnel issues. And, it said, “Anytime an employee or patient raises concerns we treat each matter seriously.”

Later, in an e-mail to the Journal, hospital spokesperson Courtney Hunt-Munther assured: “The ICU is fully staffed and patients are receiving quality care.”

Concurrently, a rumor flew that the hospital had told pulmonologist Dr. Melvin Selinger, the medical director of the ICU, that his services were no longer needed. And there was talk that perhaps the suspensions were related to ongoing union contract negotiations and hints of a pending nurses’ strike.

“They need to put the fear of God into the rest of the nursing staff,” said Wes Thornton, one of the suspended nurses, who contacted the Journal last week. “And these nurses on suspension, we’re opinionated people.”

Another of the suspended nurses, who asked to remain anonymous, speculated the suspensions might have specifically to do with a battle over staffing ratios. Currently, California law requires one nurse for every two patients in ICU, and one-to-one for acute cases. “But the hospitals and other outside institutions have been seeking to eliminate this staffing ratio,” said the nurse. “And I was told by a union representative that this was going to be a major bargaining issue.”

The hospital objects to those speculations.

“The situation involving the ICU nurses is absolutely unrelated to either our ongoing negotiations with the nurses union or Dr. Selinger,” Hunt-Munther wrote. She added: “[W]e want to thank Dr. Selinger for his leadership and service over the years. We have no issue with his performance. He continues to be a valued partner in our mission to serve our patients and the people of Humboldt County. This is simply a change in medical director to another pulmonologist — rotation of medical directors happens in various specialties as various doctors take turns providing med-admin leadership.”

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