MU Health Care has denied claims of mismanagement and mistreatment of nursing staff after a group of about 20 nurses sent a letter to local news outlets about their concerns and feelings of expendability during the pandemic.
The nurses continue to worry about hospital policy related to the use of personal protective equipment, but also cite staffing allocation and reductions, as well as what they perceive as a lack of appreciation for nursing staff.
A nurse who asked not to be named because they fear losing their job said the letter was written by a core group of 20 nurses from multiple units at both MU Health Care hospitals. The nurse said the group represents a larger number of nurses who didn't want to risk speaking out, even anonymously.
Asked to respond to the nurses' letter, MU Health Care released a statement Monday afternoon, which said it was "saddened" to hear of the complaints and did not feel they were reflective of the experiences of most of the hospitals' nursing staff.
MU Health Care spokesperson Jesslyn Chew pointed out that the organization has a total nursing staff of more than 1,500 people.
The statement emphasized how grateful MU Health Care was for staff members working through the pandemic. It said that safety was a top priority and cited amenities provided for staff members, such as child care and a food bank.
But the nurses say they feel unheard and pointed out there are no nurses on MU Health Care's COVID-19 task force, which is made up mostly of administrators.
"We now see that the hospital that we loved and have been loyal to for years does not value us. We have become employee ID numbers," the letter states.
In its response, MU Health Care noted that Mary Beck, a registered nurse and Chief Nursing Officer at MU Health Care, is a task force member and that nurses from multiple other departments participated.
For more, read the entire story on the Columbia Missourian's website.