Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

150 workers laid off by Hawaii Medical Center

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • 150 workers laid off by Hawaii Medical Center

    Hopefully, those 150 displaced workers will be able to find jobs at the other area hospitals quickly, and anyone who has to use the facilities at St. Francis Hospital in the future doesn't have his/her care compromised by the sudden layoffs. Unfortunately, the new owners of St. Francis Hosp now are paying more attention to the bottom line than they are to whether or not they can provide good care. It's one thing to lay off administrators, but if they are also laying off critical staff like nurses, then you gotta wonder.

    Miulang
    Last edited by Miulang; February 3, 2007, 12:28 PM.
    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

  • #2
    Re: 150 workers laid off by St. Francis Hospital

    Not St. Francis anymore--must call it HMC.

    Fri was a depressing day to be at HMC--I watched a lot of workers crying because they had just found out they would not be working at the hospital anymore.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 150 workers laid off by St. Francis Hospital

      I just read another story in the Star Bulletin about the change of ownership and that story said that no RN positions were being eliminated, but LPNs were. The management is talking about how they want the RNs to do more of the hands on care, but the RNs will have to do double work because the stuff that they relied on LPNs and MAs to do (the basics like taking vitals, etc.) the RNs will also have to do now. What the new owners are forgetting, I think, is how much "paperwork" (charting) nurses have to do on top of patient care, so unless the acuity levels of the patients are fairly low, you're going to have more burnout of the RNs---at an accelerated rate. The medical system also apparently hasn't started integrating electronic medical records into its systems yet, which makes the whole patient recordkeeping thing even more cumbersome.

      And isn't the old St. Francis where most of the State's kidney patients went for treatment? My late uncle was one of the nephrologists on staff there.

      Miulang
      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 150 workers laid off by St. Francis Hospital

        Originally posted by Miulang View Post
        Hopefully, those 150 displaced workers will be able to find jobs at the other area hospitals quickly, and anyone who has to use the facilities at St. Francis Hospital in the future doesn't have his/her care compromised by the sudden layoffs. Unfortunately, the new owners of St. Francis Hosp now are paying more attention to the bottom line than they are to whether or not they can provide good care. It's one thing to lay off administrators, but if they are also laying off critical staff like nurses, then you gotta wonder.

        Miulang
        They insist that the lay-offs will not affect patient care because no RN's are going to be laid off.

        Yeah, sure. The firing of ancillary help in any department affects the job of the RN. And we are ALWAYS expected to pick up the slack when other departments are short.

        I can't tell you how many times I've picked up a mop or helped scrub a room because housekeeping was short and an admission was on its way up and the room wasn't clean. How often I've run down to the dietary department to pick up trays because they didn't have enough staff, or picked up meds at the pharmacy because they didn't have enough people to deliver them.

        It may not seem like a big deal but these kinds of things take time away from patient care. You can't NOT do them, either---if you don't, patient care is again impacted.

        After speaking with several nurses who still work at St. Francis ("HMC") I have to wonder how long they're going to stay there. The overwhelming sense I get from our conversations is that they have been betrayed. It looks like they may have been.

        An article from last November states "The doctors also agreed to retain all 1500 St. Francis workers for a year and decide whether or not to fill vacancies that come open."

        http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/s...13/story2.html

        With all due respect, "for-profit, doctor-owned" hospitals?

        Too scary.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: 150 workers laid off by St. Francis Hospital

          Originally posted by Miulang View Post
          And isn't the old St. Francis where most of the State's kidney patients went for treatment? My late uncle was one of the nephrologists on staff there.

          Miulang
          The Dialysis Dept. has not been a part of St. Francis (HMC) for a long time. It is run by Liberty Dialysis. One is located in the basement. The other in the building fronting the entrance of HMC. There are two other places in the area. One across Liliha Library which is the largest facility in the State and the other at Rehab of The Pacific on Kuakini Street.

          Auntie Lynn
          Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
          Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: 150 workers laid off by Hawaii Medical Center

            I have spoken to several nurses with who I used to work at St. Francis. I worked with them at Liliha so this may not apply to West.

            Here is what I heard---I would assume these things to be true and not mere rumors nor conjecture. The nurses I spoke to are terribly disheartened.

            1. ALL the nurses' aides and patient care technicians have been given pink slips. Some who have been working in the ICU have been advised to re-apply for employment. I don't know what this means as far as their seniority, pay, sick leave, etc. I also don't know why the re-apply recommendation seems to be directed only at the ICU NA's.

            2. RN's on general floors will be assigned one less patient to make up for the loss of the NA's and PCT's. (Trust me, it will NOT make up for it.)

            3. RN's on telemetry floors will be assigned one MORE patient than their current assignment guidelines suggest. (HUH?)

            4. The transplant program (my all-time favorite area of medicine) is going to be pulled out of Liliha. No word as to where it will be going.

            5. LPN's are also being dumped. IMHO, what a terrible loss. I know many of these LPN's, especially those who work in telemetry. Some have worked there for three decades or more. They have so much to offer in the areas of expertise and experience. Apparently the new owners are out to impress with an "RN only" staff. Even if it means staffing with clueless new grads (sorry---I love the newbies but they are often truly clueless, bless their well-meaning little hearts) or travel nurses who are often barely more than clueless (travel nursing agencies require one year of experience----do NOT get me started).

            It is a sad scary time for those at the former St. Francis facilities.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: 150 workers laid off by Hawaii Medical Center

              I feel really bad for the nursing staff of the former St. Francis system.

              The HMO I used to work for also decided (ostensibly for cost cutting reasons) to eliminate MA and LPN positions a few years ago, leaving only RNs and NPs (most of whom are former medics). This more "professional" staff was supposed to be considered "colleagues" of the docs, but how can you be regarded as an equal member when besides your professional responsibilities, you also have to do the things the MAs and LPNs were doing? They removed MAs and LPNs from both the outpatient clinics and the hospitals in the system.

              Having been involved in the healthcare industry for more than 20 years now (in hospitals, outpatient clinics and the business end), I'm not completely convinced that a healthcare system can do without skilled MAs and LPNs doing some of the less technical jobs, because without those staff, nurses can't concentrate on what they do best.

              What happened at my company is the RNs started heading for the hills due to increased job dissatisfaction, and now, I think they've started hiring some LPNs back. Cutting back on MAs and LPNs in a clinic setting I might be able to understand, but certainly not in a hospital, where the patients are sicker and require more individualized attention than those seen in an outpatient clinic.

              And what's this deal with having to re-apply for their positions? This is the most cockamamie stupid business decision I've heard. And unfortunately, it's a strategy lots of large businesses are taking these days.

              One of the phone companies in town requires that all managers reapply for their positions about every 2 years. Why? If they're not doing a good job, why not just let them go after their annual review? And for the managers who are doing a good job, why put the added stress on them? Is it just to "keep them on their toes" ? I can think of better ways to manage your employees than keep them in a constant state of fear.

              The nursing shortage crisis is bad enough as it is all over the country; why would HMC want to exacerbate that situation for themselves by cutting staff now, before the new management has had a time to really understand the dynamics of the environment? I know it's tempting when new management to comes in and try to sweep away any vestiges of the old management, but you could very well end up throwing the baby out with the bath water. Now the former St. Francis staff feel betrayed because they had been promised up front that no changes were going to happen immediately.

              Making drastic changes like removing critical members on a health care team to cut costs may seem like a good business step initially, but eventually, that will come back and bite them in the butt as they face even more issues recruiting qualified nursing help. And unless they start importing RNs from outside the country, the reputation of HMC among nursing staff is 'opala right now in town and will hinder their recruiting efforts.

              Where is your nurses' union? I normally don't like unions, but when companies pull this kind of crap on their employees, I'm glad the ones who actually advocate for their members, in return for the dues their members contribute, do exist.

              Miulang
              "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: 150 workers laid off by Hawaii Medical Center

                Originally posted by Miulang View Post
                Where is your nurses' union? I normally don't like unions, but when companies pull this kind of crap on their employees, I'm glad the ones who actually advocate for their members, in return for the dues their members contribute, do exist.

                Miulang
                The people who are being laid off are members of the Teamsters Union, not HNA.

                And yes, I too wonder what the heck is going on with that Union. The "fire/re-apply" tactic is a classic union-busting strategy.

                Think someone is getting a bit of kala under the table here?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: 150 workers laid off by Hawaii Medical Center

                  Originally posted by WindwardOahuRN View Post
                  The people who are being laid off are members of the Teamsters Union, not HNA.

                  And yes, I too wonder what the heck is going on with that Union. The "fire/re-apply" tactic is a classic union-busting strategy.

                  Think someone is getting a bit of kala under the table here?
                  Does SEIU have a presence in Hawai'i yet? a lot of non-nursing employees are being organized under that union on CONUS now.

                  Miulang
                  "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: 150 workers laid off by Hawaii Medical Center

                    Originally posted by Miulang View Post
                    Does SEIU have a presence in Hawai'i yet? a lot of non-nursing employees are being organized under that union on CONUS now.

                    Miulang

                    Not that I know of. Teamsters and HNA are the big ones here.

                    And not immune to bribery, it would seem.

                    (OOOO----did I actually SAY that? Why yes, I did.)

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: 150 workers laid off by Hawaii Medical Center

                      Originally posted by WindwardOahuRN View Post
                      Not that I know of. Teamsters and HNA are the big ones here.

                      And not immune to bribery, it would seem.

                      (OOOO----did I actually SAY that? Why yes, I did.)
                      Maybe it's time for the Teamsters to get some competition for members, then. I hate it when hardworking people pay dues to have a union represent them, and all the union does is get in bed with the companies instead. I know the Teamsters have had problems with corruption in the past and if I was a member of that union and also one of those who got pink slipped by HMC, I would be mightily po'd if all they did was keep quiet and let HMC roll over the employees.

                      Miulang
                      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X