Home health nurses in Spokane seek community support for safety measures

Spokane, Oct. 17, 2024 — Less than two years after their colleague Doug Brant was murdered on the job, nurses at Providence VNA Home Health in Spokane are fighting for greater safety measures in contract negotiations. Unlike nurses who work in hospitals, Providence VNA are Home Health nurses who see patients in their homes, caring for the most vulnerable patients in our Spokane community. The nurses dedicate themselves fully to the Spokane community and feel their work is a true calling to heal the sick.

Sometimes, however, nurses are confronted with an unsafe environment, which may involve drugs, weapons, or a potentially violent situation at the patient’s residence.

The nurses are demanding that Providence provide basic, common-sense safety measures to ensure nurses’ well-being when providing care in the community.

Susan Worster BSN, RN, CWOCN, a home health nurse with Providence VNA Home Health 35 years, shares her story.

Nurses want the autonomy to use their professional judgment to determine whether a home visit is unsafe. They say safety should not be solely determined by a manager’s assessment from a phone conversation. They also want a security guard available, not another coworker to go with them.

“Six years ago, if a nurse didn’t feel safe, management offered a security guard, but then management took that option away,” said Kathleen Thompson a registered nurse for VNA.  “We want security to be more readily available for our nurses. What Providence currently provides does not offer enough security for our nurses.”

VNA home health nurses have expressed concerns to management about unsafe environments, which have included the presence of drugs and firearms and potentially violent patients.

Nurses’ concern over safety has contributed to the exodus of nurses at Providence VNA.  The turnover rate in the last 12 months is 37%, with nurses not choosing to stay, some citing concerns over their safety as a reason for leaving and many citing pay.

Nurses at nearby Providence Sacred Heart and Providence Holy Family earn, on average, over 24% more than Providence VNA nurses. With the low pay and unsafe working conditions, it is no wonder that Providence VNA has become a revolving door of nurses.

Providence VNA nurses deserve better, and the community they serve deserve better.  This cannot happen without nurses being provided common-sense measures for their personal safety and without nurses being provided competitive wages.

Doug Brant, a home health nurse with Providence VNA, was shot and killed Dec. 1, 2022, by a patient’s grandson during an initial visit.

After the shooting, Providence offered the continued ability to request accompaniment on visits, panic alarms, and fanny packs to hold their phone and keys on person. And a new policy was instituted for screening patients for a history of violence. Unfortunately, even when the answer to the question about history of violence is “yes,” nurses are told they still need to go out and see a patient without security.

The nurses have started a community petition outlining their requests for better safety on the job and have asked all residents of the greater Spokane area to sign it in support.

Sign the community petition to support the safety of Providence VNA Home Health nurses.