FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ann Sincox; 517-256-2312
Nurses march to call attention to dangerous conditions caused by chronic understaffing
(Lapeer, MI) This evening, nurses and community members held an informational picket and march in Lapeer. They called on McLaren Lapeer Medical Region Hospital to agree to a reasonable contract that will ensure safe RN staffing levels for patients.
“As a nurse who lives in Lapeer, I want to be able to hold my head up when I walk into a local store knowing I gave my best to our community,” said Sheila Lane, a McLaren Lapeer RN. “When understaffing occurs, nurses don’t have enough time so are forced to be task oriented: blood pressure, passing medication, assessing, then starting all over again. This approach means we might miss something really important to our patients’ health.”
Nurses at McLaren Lapeer are represented by the Michigan Nurses Association and have been in ongoing negotiations with the hospital for the past 14 months.
“It feels like McLaren is turning healthcare into a GM assembly line,” said Marebeth Miles, McLaren Lapeer RN. “It’s frightening to have six patients and be told, as bed alarms are going off, that you have to take a seventh.”
“Patients are my number one priority. I work at McLaren Lapeer even though I could get paid more money at another hospital because I want to make sure my town has the best healthcare,” said Chuck Johnson, Lapeer resident and RN. “At the Rally for Our Patients, nurses and community members came together to say that we need common-sense safety measures.”
“As much as we want to reach an agreement, we won’t back down when it comes to patient safety,” said Thomas Hall, RN and President of Lapeer Staff Nurse Council. “We hope that the hospital executives will do the right thing and implement safe staffing levels.”
The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) is the largest, most effective union for registered nurses in Michigan, advocating for nurses and their patients at the State Capitol, in the community, and at the bargaining table.
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