Need Advice

[Mangolynn]

I'm 57 and have been nursing for 30 years, but I'm currently temping at a small hospital in a small town in Arizona and have run into a situation I have never encountered. We all know that the political culture and profit driven hospital management can be the biggest deterent to helping patients, but this case tops anything I've ever seen. If anyone can suggest a place to turn, I'd really like to help the permanent employees here.

This hospital is NOT union, by the way. Lifepoint purchased this hospital about a year ago and there seems to be NO EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK or manual. I've asked repeatedly in HR and the Nursing Director and even corporate compliance in Tennessee has not responded.

The problems started the first part of May with the CEO hired some cronies from Maryvale, Arizona. Two Hispanic men came in to "shape up" the housekeeping department and it's been a nightmare ever since. We depend on housekeeping to assist with infection control, among other things, but when any one department comes under fire it seems to affect the entire staff.

The two men mentioned held their first meeting and told employees that they had "people lined up waiting for their jobs". Then they proceeded to move people into different areas. Two people had been cleaning in the recovery areas for YEARS; The area includes outpatient and inpatient recovery as well as the Heart Lab, Cath Lab and Endo Lab. They made one employee of 23 years a "floater" sending her to different areas every day. The other employee was sent to the OR. A man who was in OR was sent to the areas vacated by the floater and the man who took his job. After 2 weeks, that employee was disciplined for forgetting to fill a paper towel dispenser. He was "written up". A week after that he was called in to HR and suspended because there was urine on a toilet seat 3 days after his last shift ended and they accused him of not having cleaned it. He was suspended 3 weeks and the EEOC got his job back for him. Meanwhile, the woman with 23 years was forced out just by harrassment.

These two managers seem to write people up for the most minor offense and HR does not investigate nor accept explanations. I've overheard one of these managers SCREAMING at an employee in a patient area. They insist that the work be done during times that literally interfere with nursing duties and the comfort of the patients. When patients are trying to sleep there are big floor scrubbers going up and down the hall.

People have filed complaints with the Corporate Compliance departments, but to no avail. So far, 6 people have left (the department had 21 people). For the last 3 weeks, during the period that the Recovery cleaning person was suspended 2 Hispanic women (who spoke almost no English) cleaned his areas. Which leaves me wondering why it took 2 people before, 2 people in his absence yet his is suppose to do it alone and disciplined if it's not completed.

One woman who'd been in laundry for 12 years was switched to cleaning rooms. She spoke to the manager and said she didn't like cleaning rooms and wanted to be in laundry and was told "Good. Maybe you'll just quit then because you're not going back to laundry." They hired new people for laundry.

ANY SUGGESTIONS???? There is no one at the hospital who will help. The HR woman and her 2 assistants are idiots. In fact, I heard that when the EEOC lawyer called her, she told the EEOC that she'd been in HR for 20 years and she didn't need anyone to tell her what the law was. That's just life in a small town. They think they are exempt from the real world.

If anyone has ever run into people being written up for the types of things that I've listed, please let me know because I really haven't ever seen this before.

[loridoo]

Sounds to me like the new management is trying to get rid of anyone who had accrued any kind of time (i.e. topped out their pay scale) and replace them with lower paid individiuals. The lady in HR better watch out if she has been there for 20 years she may be next

[djjrndon]

Dear Mangolynn,

I like the response from loridoo! One can only hope! You don't need advise you need God himself. It seems to me that there should be something that can be done. Although I'll admit a similar thing just occured at the hospital in the "fishbowl" town I live in. (I don't work at this hosp., my husband does) They brought a CEO hitman in, to "clean house". They gathered 32 midlevel administratirve employees, fired all of them, then let those who were interested, and who were "qualified" to re apply!! 17 people than took the place of the original 32. They all took a HUGE cut in pay, and where there were 4 or 5 over a single department, they hired 1 !!! The whole town is up in arms, but say there is nothing that can be done....Not only has the quality of care suffered but the quality of life in this community, as well as the quality of life in their attached LTC facility. I am hoping JCAHO will have something to say, or Public Health....just somebody. If I hear of anything I will certainly let you know.

dj

[llg, PhD, RN]

I'm no expert in labor law ... but it is clear to me that you are not going to solve this problem internally. An outside government agency is going to have to investigate the situation and take action.

I'm not sure who to contact in your state, but I would start by getting your own lawyer to protect yourself. If you decide to speak up, they will probably retaliate against you.

Your own lawyer may also be able to advise you on the proper agency within your state to contact.

Good luck!

llg

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

Yep id say they are pushing out the seniority people in leu of decreasing payroll in those areas. They are probly just starting so be very careful. And i do agree it sounds like some major lawsuits may be coming down the road, because they eventually will slip up and say the wrong thing to someone about being there long enough,, or making to much money or something. I hope they get slammed.