Saint Vincent nurses to petition leadership to raise staffing levels, claim union contract has been violated

Photo | Grant Welker Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester

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Saying their complaints regarding patient and staff safety at Saint Vincent Hospital have gone unanswered, the Massachusetts Nurses Association labor union has announced plans to deliver a petition to the hospital’s CEO and chief nursing officer on Wednesday signed by more than 80% of the facility nurses, demanding that nursing staffing levels at the Tenet-owned facility be raised.

The petition, which the union plans on handing to hospital officials following a Wednesday morning press conference outside hospital grounds, comes in the wake of a January announcement by MNA complaints had been filed to a number of federal and state officials regarding conditions at the hospital.

MNA, a union that represents over 20,000 nurses across the state, claims hospital officials are refusing to meet in good faith to discuss alleged problems at the facility. Union members have filed more than 100 complaints regarding alleged violations of the contract that was put in place following the 301-day nurses strike that ended in January 2022. That strike largely centered on staffing levels at the hospital.

Nurses provided further details regarding their view on conditions at the hospital via a press release issued Tuesday, saying the hospital has more than 250 pending vacancies and conditions at the facility are allegedly causing newly recruited nursing graduates to leave their positions, with some allegedly departing before they finish orientation.

The release included excerpts from an alleged series of text messages sent from Marlena Pellegrino, a nurse at the hospital who is co-chair of the nurses local bargaining unit, to Chief Nursing Officer Denise Kvapil, who was hired in December.

In the text messages, Pellegrino outlined a number of alleged safety issues she witnessed during a shift on Dec. 31, where she stated that three registered nurses and one patient care assistant were responsible for the care of 18 patients.

Stating she had never seen conditions this bad in her 37+ year career, Pellegrino said patient care was being delayed and nurses were unable to perform various functions, including issuing pain medication and responding to patient call lights in a timely manner, as nurses were facing severe understaffing, a lack of available supplies, and unsanitary conditions.

"More staff are looking for jobs elsewhere and resigning,” read an excerpt of Pellegrino's text messages provided in the press release. “Patients and staff are suffering physically and emotionally. What is Tenet's end game? We need to work collaboratively if there is ever a chance to restore SVH to the honorable institution it once was. An immediate response and remedy from Nursing and Hospital Leadership is essential. Patients' lives depend on it."

MNA said Kvapil did not respond to the text messages and that, with the exception of a 20-minute meeting, Kvapil has allegedly not engaged in meaningful dialogue regarding the nurses’ concerns.

A spokesperson for Saint Vincent told WBJ via email that the MNA’s accusations are unfounded and that the hospital continues to operate in accordance with the provisions that were agreed upon in the collective bargaining agreement.

"We do not condone the MNA’s tactics of organizing publicity stunts, spreading false rumors and intimidating our leadership. The MNA’s actions are disrespectful to the dedicated nurses, physicians and staff at Saint Vincent Hospital who prioritize caring for our patients," the hospital told WBJ. "We hope the MNA will reconsider its approach, and instead collaborate with us, and other systems facing similar staffing shortages, to increase healthcare access for the communities we serve."

MNA’s petition demands that Saint Vincent officials adhere to the staffing levels agreed to in the 2022 contract and hire enough traveling nurses, negotiate a robust bonus program, and work with the union on other measures to ensure the facility can recruit and retain enough staff to ensure patient safety.

The union pointed out in its Tuesday release the hospital spent more than $5 million a week to recruit more than 200 travel nurses during the strike, but claims the hospital is now refusing to hire enough travel nurses to ensure adequate staffing levels.

MNA alleges nurses have faced retribution for their efforts to raise attention to alleged safety issues at the hospital. The union states three nurses in the emergency department who filed complaints were terminated and six nurses in other units, including Dominique Muldoon, co-chair of the nurses local bargaining unit, have been suspended without pay.

MNA says it is responding to these terminations and suspensions by filing charges of unfair labor practices and preparing an official complaint to be filed under the state’s healthcare whistleblower law.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include a statement from Saint Vincent.