New developments at the hospital

WSNA is aware of the current turmoil going on at the hospital. We have heard concerns from many of you regarding the dismissal of Erin Wooley which was characterized as a cost-savings measure. WSNA is equally concerned. We will be monitoring developments and are hoping to hear more soon about vote of no-confidence by the medical staff as well as the rationale behind eliminating a critical nursing leadership role at the hospital. WSNA was contacted by the Whidbey News-Times and WSNA provided the following statement:

At a time when nursing and healthcare are in crisis, the dismissal of the Chief Nursing Officer came as a surprise to the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) nurses at WhidbeyHealth. Ms. Wooley was a respected leader in her role and advocate for quality patient care. WSNA has significant concerns around ongoing care of patients, coordination of nursing care, as well as the working conditions and safety of the nursing staff. The registered nurses represented by WSNA are heading into negotiations with WhidbeyHealth for a new collective bargaining contract and the dismissal of key members of leadership will have an impact. The retention and recruitment of nurses will be a top priority to ensure safe patient care. The nurses have not had a meaningful raise since 2018, their salaries are far behind area market and there are critical low staffing levels in several units of the hospital. The financial viability and ability to attract and retain nurses is vital to the success of hospital. As the only hospital on the Island, WhidbeyHealth provides essential health care services for all of the Island's residents.

It also appears that the Board has “extended the deadline for letters to the Board of Commissioners. If you wish to write a letter, anonymous or otherwise, please send this via email to the MSO by 9 a.m. Thursday, February 17. These letters will be sealed in a packet and hand delivered to each board member before the start of the meeting.” WSNA encourages you all to provide your feedback to the board.

Negotiations update from your team

We, your negotiation team are engaged in our first negotiation session today, Friday, Feb. 10. In general, negotiations usually start with some ground rules development and the passing proposals. We did pass our initial proposal in the morning and will be answering any questions that management may have. We stressed to management the critical staffing shortage we are facing. Economics are a core component of turning that around.. After today, our next session will be Friday, Feb. 18 and we are expecting management to respond to our proposal and provide any proposals they may have.

The members of our team are:
Gwen Parrick, Local Unit Chair, Hospice Care
Rebecca Pina, Co-chair, Walk-in clinic Oak Harbor
Luka Cobb, Secretary/Treasurer, Hospice
Laura Black, Grievance Officer, MS
Ann Bell, PACU,
Dori Painter, PACU
Louisa Dizon, ER

Grievances

We have several grievances related to wage differentials. Please be sure to check your paychecks for accuracy and contact WSNA if there are discrepancies. You should certainly work with your manager and payroll on corrections but please also connect with your Nurse Rep.

HSA Accounts

WSNA has received some complaints about HSA withholdings not being deposited into accounts. Please check your records and contact WSNA ASAP if you believe your account does not contain what should have been deposited.

Questions, comments or concerns? Please contact one of your local unit officers or your nurse rep, Sara Frey, sfrey@wsna.org.