By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor, Facility Market

Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, recently announced that it will start to scale back its services due to the ongoing strike by nurses who are calling for better staffing ratios. The strike began on March 8. There have been negotiation sessions between the nurses and the hospital’s parent company, Tenet Healthcare, since the strike started, according to GBH News, but the issues have not yet been resolved. When speaking about the scaling back of services, Tenet Healthcare reported that it will reduce 80 hospital beds and temporarily halt outpatient cardiac rehab and wound care.   

Typically, the hospital has around 380 beds, but the reductions will take away 10 psychiatric beds, one-half of the current capacity, and remove two out of its eight total surgical units. The hospital maintains that it is doing its best to preserve its operations due to the loss of nurses on strike. It will resume complete services when the strike comes to a close. The nurses on strike saw the hospital’s statement as a way to scare them while also evading responsibility. 

This 700-nurse strike is so far the second longest in Massachusetts history. There has been a strong push for a higher staff capacity since early 2019 when more than 70 percent of nurses signed a petition and sent it to Tenet Healthcare. The nurses on strike want staffing levels that are the same as other hospitals in the state. There have been over 600 reports of dangerous staffing conditions that were putting patients’ safety and care at risk. 

Staffing ratios have created problems for other nurses around the country. 200 nurses at Community First Medical Center in Chicago went on a one-day strike on July 26 citing unfair labor practices. Issues with staffing, equipment and supplies during the pandemic have caused problems for these nurses. McLaren Macomb hospital in Detroit recently reached a deal with 500 nurses who were ready to go on strike due to understaffing and wage issues.