BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital nurses need your support. I would say that they are in contract negotiations with the hospital, but the fact is, they are the hospital.
It is worth remembering that the one thing provided in hospital care that you cannot receive on an outpatient basis is nursing care. Nursing staff are there 24/7 when you are at your most vulnerable, physically and emotionally.
BMH faces the same critical issues being faced by other small, rural hospitals. One such issue that has a huge impact on nurses, hospital administrations, and the quality of care you receive is the nursing shortage.
Some BMH nurses have stated that they are trying to work with the hospital administration, through their contract negotiations, to address the equally important problems of recruitment and retention of nursing staff.
To recruit nurses, the wages must be at least comparable to those offered in the nearby hospitals in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The nurses' contract attempts to address this issue at BMH. With wage increases, the nurses are not simply looking to make more money, they are attempting to attract other nurses so the hospital can experience a stable workforce and decrease the exorbitant costs of staffing with “traveling nurses.”
To retain the personnel attracted, the working conditions need to be, at least, tolerable. Probably the issue which creates the greatest workplace dissatisfaction and contributes most to burnout of nurses is mandated overtime.
Nurses are required to work beyond their assigned shift if there is a shortage of staff for the following shift. This is happening regularly - not just occasionally - to the BMH nurses. In addition to the disruption to their lives and families, it is exhausting!
Both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, the states with which BMH must compete for nursing staff, have laws significantly prohibiting the use of mandated shifts in hospitals. Until the Vermont Legislature takes the steps to outlaw this dangerous practice, hospitals must take the initiative to address this practice, which will continue to drain away nursing staff.
Show your support! Talk to a nurse about what solutions they seek, talk to a hospital administrator or one of its board members about what can be done to support our community nurses, and make the negotiating process a collaborative effort for positive change.
You don't have to look far to know that community involvement is critical if we are to retain our community hospital.