The AFSCME/HEART Committee heard testimony from two patients during its Saturday meet. The topic was efforts by nurses at Resurrection Health Care to organize for better working conditions - especially better hours.
One of the two patients related a disturbing incident which occurred during a recent hospitalization. A nurse entered the patient's room to insert an IV. The nurse did not wear latex gloves. She held the IV needle by the shaft. (The shaft is the part that goes into the patient.) The nurse was having difficulty finding a vein, so she set the needle on the table. A few seconds later she re-inserted the same needle.
The patient wound up with an infection. It could have been worse. For one thing, no one else was infected. The patient said she was HIV positive.
Listeners speculated that excessive work hours could have led to the breach.
Even the most dedicated professional finds his or her performance deteriorating after excessive hours on the job.
The Committee collected petitions calling on Resurrection to improve nurse staffing at West Suburban Hospital and also to end retaliation against nurses.
