Saint Vincent reopens 12 behavioral health beds as strike nears end
Photo | Grant Welker
Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester
On Monday, Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester reopened 12 inpatient behavioral health beds, as the hospital prepares to welcome back nurses who have been striking since March, according to a press release from the hospital.
Saint Vincent closed 100 beds in August citing staffing shortages, which garnered commentary from a number of policymakers and leaders as bed shortages plagued the region through the fall.
The 12 behavioral health beds opened Monday make up 60% of Saint Vincent’s inpatient psychiatry capacity, per the announcement. More beds are expected to reopen once nurses return to the bedside in January, the hospital said.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association and the hospital, which is owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp., came to a tentative agreement on Dec. 17, and the union members are scheduled to ratify the contract in a vote scheduled for Jan. 3.
The strike lasted for roughly nine months beginning March 8, first over patient-to-nurse staffing ratios and then over whether the striking nurses could return to their previous shifts and jobs. Nurses agreed to stop picketing outside the hospital until the Dec. 3 vote takes place.
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