From: Virginia Treacy <VTreacy@jneso.org>
Sent: Friday, August 5, 2022 1:18 AM
To: asickles@primehealth.com; nbisco-flora@primehealthcare.com; Sue Bruno <abruno@primehealthcare.com>; Paul Mazer (PHMI) <pmazer@primehealthcare.com>; Doug Placa <DPlaca@jneso.org>
Cc: 'elfriedavjrn@gmail.com' <elfriedavjrn@gmail.com>;
Subject: Transfer of Patients
To All Concerned:
Around 9:00 PM this evening, I was advised by Paul Mazer, Esq, that due to another failure of the HVAC cooling system(s) the hospital was going on divert. CRR and MICU patients would be downgraded, if possible, to transfer out of the Units, if not, they would be transferred out of the facility. Additional arrangements would be made, as necessary to move patients to the coolest areas available in the hospital.
I understood that the arrangements would be fluid to meet the circumstances. Around 11:30 PM, I was further informed by staff members that Nurses, as well as their patients, were being sent to St. Mary's Hospital.
While it is prudent for SMMC to move patients to alternative care environments, the same cannot be said for moving staff to an unfamiliar practice setting.
I called the Chief Nursing Officer, Ms. Bisco, and expressed our grave concern as well as the position of JNESO that no staff member we represent can be forced to follow the patient(s) to any facility other than SMMC. We understand that the hospital will, over our objections. seek volunteers to do so.
In such instances we expect them to have the following protections:
• Transported via SMMC vehicles to and from SMMC with insurance coverage provided in addition to Workers 'Compensation
• Once there they should be oriented to the Unit they will be working.
• They are indemnified and held harmless for any errors, other than the standards of their practice, relating to a lack of knowledge of the facility, its procedures, charting system, chain of command, supplies, and their location.
• Special precautions must be provided for medication administration and documentation since they may not have the usual access to another facility's system.
• No discipline or other negative actions will result from their willingness or unwillingness to go to provide care outside of SMMC.
As a registered nurse I understand the desire to provide care to patients, but as a Union representative, I cannot encourage them to place themselves at such risk. I am also only speaking for the SMMC staff, not the JNESO members at St. Mary's since I am not at this time responding to the effect on them.
For many years we have warned about the lack of sufficient staff to respond to emergencies as well as an absence of a valid contingency plan at both SMMC and St. Mary's It also does not appear that this HVAC failure can be considered "unanticipated" by anyone who has worked at SMMC through a change in season.
We sincerely hope that all involved, especially the patients and staff, have a safe and speedy resolution to this situation. In closing, we would expect that you will keep JNESO and our members informed of the conditions and the steps you are taking to provide a remedy.
Virginia Treacy
