By JEANETTE WOLFBERG
HUDSON–The CEO of Columbia Memorial Hospital (CMH) says, “We’re a center for excellence,” according to Robin Johnson, an operating room nurse at the hospital, at a meeting with employees hosted by their union, 1199SEIU, and the City of Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson. But people at the August 8 meeting depicted the quality of patient care threatened by department closings, staff shortages, traveling temporary employees, and the takeover of CMH by Albany Med.
Some people from the audience reported receiving “exceptional care” at CMH. “I was in with a broken leg, and every nurse who came to me was great,” said one.
Mayor Johnson reported that his first daughter, now 16, was born in CMH. But by the time his second daughter was ready to be born, CMH no longer had a birthing department. When the mother’s water broke, Mr. Johnson rushed seven blocks to pick her up and drive her as fast as he could to the hospital in Albany. When they got there, the hospital said it was too early and sent them back home, a 45 minute drive. As soon as they got home, her labor went into high gear. They turned right around and raced back to Albany. “What should have been one of the happiest moments of my life turned out to be one of the scariest,” Mayor Johnson said.
Brianna O’Leary, a Medical Imaging Technician at CMH, listed other departments in addition to birthing that CMH has closed. “I’ve heard rumors they’re turning the whole hospital into only mental health and ambulatory surgery,” she said.
With staffing shortages, “We’re doing more with fewer people,” observed Kelly Transure, a surgical services nurse at CMH. This makes it harder to squeeze in time to keep track of equipment.
“Sometimes we don’t know something is missing until a surgeon asks for it,” reported Ms. Johnson, an operating room nurse (no relation to Mayor Johnson). And once “they told us to keep wearing dirty masks.”
Gold Waters, a sterile processing technician, said that her department cleans and sterilizes medical equipment for re-use in the operating room and on-site and off-site clinics. They must remove every bit of bio-burden, bacteria, and disease.
“We can’t afford to and it’s unfair” to have this done by the inexperienced people, Ms. Waters continued.
Travelers–qualified people hired for 13-week stints at CMH–make mistakes. “I’ve heard horror stories about travelers,” added union Executive Vice President Greg Speller.
When Medical Imaging has too few technicians, they have to transfer some patients to other hospitals, even if they the patients have been waiting in the Emergency Room (ER) for 11 hours, reported Ms. O’Leary. CMH is a stroke center, and scans are the gold star diagnostic tool for people with possible strokes, but sometimes Medical Imaging has no one to do the scan.
One evening last summer, when the ER’s staff was over-occupied, CMH closed its door to ambulances, she added.
Mayor Johnson reported having to wait a long time in the ER this year when a family member dislocated their knee.
Somebody said there are patients who should be in other sections taking up ER beds, but there is not enough staff for the rooms in those other sections.
Even doctors are told to do more patients a day, said Ms. Transure. But for patient care, “fast is not appropriate.”
Since Albany Med took CMH over, the food given to people coming out of sedation has changed, with less variety, reported Xray Technician Robert Anderson.
A nurse in CMH’s Psychiatry Department recalled a recent incident where “we had to call the police.” She was injured at 10:10 in the morning but could not go to her own hospital’s ER until after 4 p.m., because her department was so short handed. “In my 28 years, something like this has never happened before.” There were always enough employees to borrow from other floors. Now, in the recent incident, “three of us were hurt seriously. One will not be coming back.”
“I love my job, but now it’s so unsafe that sometimes I’m afraid to come to work,” said someone from the Mental Health Association who helps in the CMH psychiatric section.
Hudson Police Chief Mishanda Franklin, who was at the meeting, explained that this was not the first time that CMH had called the police. “The police will stand behind you when you need us. [But] I’m saddened that you have to call us. Other places have armed security guards.”
CMH’s “own middle management has left. But we stay,” said Ms. Johnson. “We stayed during Covid. Were scared, but we came in every day.”
“Thank-you to healthcare workers,” said Chief Franklin.
