WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Citing safety concerns, nurses at two Ascension Via Christi hospitals in Wichita are going on strike for one day, starting Monday morning.
Upon announcing plans for the strike in late June, nurses cited incidents at St. Francis and St. Joseph’s hospitals, including a threat to “shoot up” the hospital and a man dying by suicide outside the main emergency room entrance at St. Joseph’s hospital.
The nurses said they’re going on strike to not only advocate for their own safety but the safety of the patients they serve.
“We have been saying for years that we are working in unsafe conditions and the hospital needs to do more to make sure that we are safe and our patients are safe at work,” said Kate Best, a registered nurse at Ascension Via Christi, St. Francis.
The nurses are looking to get a new contract as part of the strike – one that will include increased safety measures.
On the picket line Monday morning, Best, a nurse for about 20 years, said the demonstration is about staff-to-patient ratios and violence prevention.
“For years, decades, we have been trying to make sure that we have safe patient ratios and to make sure we have things like weapons detection,” Best said.
In a statement late last month, the Ascension Via Christi hospitals confirmed plans to add 24/7 weapon-detection systems in emergency rooms, among other things like expanding their security workforce, upgrading lighting, expanding video surveillance and conducting specialized de-escalation training for staff.
The hospital said the 24-hour weapon-detection systems will be added in August.
National Nurses United, the union representing the nurses, said its members want to see the weapons detection systems at all entrances, not just in the ER, along with other ways to keep the workplace safe.
“Unfortunately, we know that there’s been some really serious events at our sister hospital, St. Joseph, within the last month and Ascension still is not making the changes necessary to keep patients safe and to keep our nurses safe,” Best said. “So, we are standing here together today to make sure that we let the hospital know that safety is absolutely important to our patients and ourselves.”
Via Christi hospitals confirmed that normal operations will continue during the strike, with replacement nurses brought in to assist with patient care.
Plans called for the one-day strike to start at 7 a.m. Monday, and to conclude on Tuesday morning, with shifts broken out from morning to early afternoon and from late afternoon into the evening.
The strike drew support from state representatives on the picket line.
“We already have a shortage of nurses. We already have a shortage of CNAs that care for our seniors and our most vulnerable, and we don’t need them to be afraid to go to work,” said Oletha Faust-Goudeau, Kansas Senator District 29.
“We’ve gotten to a point with healthcare workers where things have become unsafe. We’re talking about situations where we have ratios that are in unsafe parameters, and really that’s what it’s about,” said Cindy Holscher, Kansas Senator District 8.
Addressing its operations during the strike and working with Ascension Via Christi’s nurses, a Via Christi spokesperson offered the following statement on Monday:
“Via Christi St. Francis and Via Christi St. Joseph remain open and fully operational for anyone seeking care during National Nurses United’s strike. Comprehensive contingency plans are in place, including a full complement of highly skilled, credentialed replacement registered nurses, ensuring no disruption to the vital care and services we provide to our communities.
We firmly believe that differences are best resolved respectfully at the bargaining table and remain focused on how we can work together to reach mutually beneficial agreements that provide our nurses with the market-competitive compensation and benefits they deserve, that ensure the long-term viability of Via Christi, and that allow us to continue delivering on our shared mission of delivering safe, compassionate care to all.”
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