WTTW.COM/NEWS.
ACROSSED COUNTRY HOSPITAL
SYSTEMS ARE FACING A SHORTAGE OF
NURSES IN COOK COUNTY, NURSES AT
STROGER HOSPITAL WENT ON STRIKE
OVER STAFFING SHORTAGES.
NURSES SAY THE LACK OF STAFFING
HAS LED TO BURN-OUT AND CAUSED
PATIENTS TO BE REDIRECTED FROM
ONE HOSPITAL TO ANOTHER.
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THE
CONDITIONS THAT NURSES ARE
FACING ARE ELIZABETH AQUINO
PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN NURSES
ASSOCIATION ILLINOIS.
AND ELIZABETH LALASZ, A
REGISTERED NURSE AT STROGER
HOSPITAL OF COOK COUNTY AND A
STEWARD AT NATIONAL NURSES
UNITED.
WE DID REACH OUT TO STROGER
HOSPITAL OF COOK COUNTY FOR
COMMENT AND DID NOT RECEIVE A
RESPONSE.
THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU FOR
JOINING US.
ELIZABETH LALASZ, WHAT HOSPITAL
CONDITIONS WOULD YOU SAY ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SHORTAGE?
>> I THINK THAT THE HOSPITAL
CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTING TO THE
SHORTAGE AND I WANT TO SAY I
DON'T THINK THERE IS A REAL
SERIOUS NURSING SHORTAGE BEFORE
COVID.
THERE'S REALLY ONLY A SHORTAGE
OF NURSES WHO ARE WILLING TO
WORK IN UNSAFE ENVIRONMENTS.
THE CONDITIONS OVER THE LAST 18
MONTHS SINCE THE BEGINNING OF
THE PANDEMIC HAVE BEEN NURSES
NOT BEING PROVIDED WITH OPTIMAL
PPE LIKE N95s, GOWNS, ALL
SORTS OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT SO
THAT WE CAN WORK WITH PATIENTS.
AND NURSES HAVE BEEN FEARFUL FOR
THEIR LIVES.
SOME HAVE GOTTEN SICK AT STROGER
HOSPITAL AND ACROSS THE SYSTEM
WHERE I WORK.
AND PEOPLE ARE FEARFUL FOR THEIR
FAMILIES AS WELL.
AND NATD, WHAT WE ARE --
IN ADDITION, WE'RE SEEING PEOPLE
ARE LEAVING THE HOSPITALS SYSTEM
THEY ARE RETIRING OR LOOKING FOR
OTHER JOBS OR TRAVELING NURSES
THAT ARE INSIDE OF OUR HOSPITAL
WORKING TO SUPPLEMENT OUR
STAFFING, YOU KNOW, ARE PLANNING
ON WORKING FOR THIS YEAR AND
THEN TAKING TIME OFF.
>> I WANT TO GET ELIZABETH
AQUINO IN HERE YOU HAVE A
SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT ON
THIS.
ELIZABETH AQUINO, YOU BELIEVE
THAT YOU DID SEE A SHORTAGE
CURRENTLY A SHORTAGE AND
PREPANDEMIC WHAT WAS THE CAUSE
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC?
>> BEFORE THE PANDEMIC WE WERE
EXPERIENCING A SHORTAGE AS A
RESULT OF THE GROWING AGING
POPULATION, THE AGING NURSING
WORKFORCE AND THE ESTIMATE IS
EXPECTED ONE MILLION ARE
SUPPOSED TO RETIRE BY 2030.
WE HAVE A NURSING FACTORY
SHORTAGE AND THE BURN-OUT.
YEAH, THE COVID PANDEMIC HAS
DEFINITELY EXACERBATED THE
SHORTAGE WITH SOME NURSES
CHOOSING TO LEAVE EARLIER.
I TEACH AT DePAUL AND WE HAVE
STUDENTS THAT GRADUATE AND
ALREADY IT'S BEEN A TOUGH YEAR
AND CONSIDERING WHAT OTHER
OPTIONS THEY MAY HAVE BECAUSE
THE EXHAUSTION THE BURN-OUT IS
SOMETHING REAL THAT NURSES ARE
FACING.
ELIZABETH AQUINO HOW BAD IS THE
SHORTAGE?
>> WE DON'T HAVE EXACT NUMBERS
BUT WE KNOW WHEN NURSES ARE
FEELING OVERWHELMED OR BURN-OUT
THAT CAUSES TURNOVER.
I'M SURE THE NUMBERS WILL COME
OUT SOON.
AND SEE THE DIRECT IMPACT.
WE KNOW ANECDOTALLY IT'S
HAPPENING NURSES ARE NOT
RETURNING.
>> ELIZABETH LALASZ, WE KNOW
THAT A COUPLE MONTHS AGO THERE
WAS A STRIKE WITH YOUR UNION
OVER STAFFING SHORTAGES AT
STROGER HOSPITAL HOW DID THAT
SHORTAGE AFFECT DAY-TO-DAY WORK
AT THE HOSPITAL?
>> I MEAN, WHAT IT MEANT WAS
THAT PEOPLE WERE EXHAUSTED.
THAT PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY AS I WAS
SAYING THE CONDITIONS WITHIN
SIDE THE --
WITH INSIDE THE HOSPITAL
CONTRIBUTED AND THE FAILURE FOR
THE HOSPITALS TO PLAN FOR THE
SURGES AROUND COVID.
WITH OUR STRIKE WHAT WE DID WAS
AND WE HAD NOT STRUCK SINCE
197640 YEARS IF NOT MORE.
AND I'M NOT SOMETHING THAT IN A
SAFETY NET HOSPITAL IS THE
TYPICAL THING WE DO.
BUT WE WON THROUGH OUR STRIKE OF
ONE DAY ON JUNE 24, A COMMITMENT
IN WRITING TO HIRE 300
ADDITIONAL NURSES INTO THE
SYSTEM.
WITHIN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS FROM
HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT.
AND WE'VE BEGUN THAT PROCESS.
WE HAD 150 PEOPLE AT A JOB FAIR
FOR MY DIVISION CALLED MEDICAL
SURGICAL NURSING.
AND WE'RE PLANNING AND PEOPLE
ARE BEING HIRED AND BROUGHT INTO
THE SYSTEM.
SO THAT WAS PART OF IT.
BUT WITH OUR STRIKE WE WON GOOD
BENEFITS.
AND SO IT IS A VERY ATTRACTIVE
PACKAGE I KNOW A LOT OF
HOSPITALS ARE HAVING SIGN ON
BONUSES.
>> TO GET MORE NURSES IN.
BUT ABOUT THE PATIENTS,
ELIZABETH AQUINO WHAT IMPACTS
DOES THE SHORTAGE HAVE ON
PATIENTS COMING TO HOSPITALS FOR
TREATMENT AND CARE?
>> IT HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON
PATIENTS BOTH PATIENTS WHO ARE
COMING INTO THE HOSPITAL AND
NEEDING SERVICES AND DUE TO A
SHORTAGE OF AVAILABLE BEDS OR
SHORTAGE OF STAFFING HOSPITALS
MAY HAVE TO GO ON BYPASS AND
THAT MEANS PATIENTS ARE NOT ABLE
TO BE CARED FOR AT AN
INSTITUTION.
WE KNOW THAT STAFFING AFFECTS
THE QUALITY OF CARE AND PATIENT
OUTCOMES.
IT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTS BOTH
NURSES AND PATIENTS.
>> ELIZABETH LALASZ, DESCRIBE
PLEASE THE CHALLENGES BECAUSE
YOU HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE WITH
WORKING IN SOME OF THE COVID
HOSPITAL WARDS.
>> THE CHALLENGES ARE AS I'VE
SAID, YOU KNOW, NOT BEING ABLE
TO HAVE SAFETY MEASURES THAT
NURSES NEED.
AS WELL AS OTHER HOSPITAL STAFF.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION
ABOUT THAT.
THE CHALLENGES OF HAVING TOO
MANY PATIENTS.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
ACTUALLY HOSPITAL SYSTEMS CAN
TAKE CARE OF BY LIKE I SAID
HAVING HIRING FAIRS AND
PROMOTING BRINGING IN NURSES AND
RETAINING NURSES.
THOSE ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT WE
FACE.
AND THE IDEA OF BURN-OUT, IS ONE
THAT I WOULD LIKE TO FLIP THAT
ON ITS HEAD BECAUSE IT MAKES IT
SEEM AS IF IT IS AN INDIVIDUAL
CHOICE OR THE NURSE OR
DEFICIENCY WHEREAS WHAT WE SAY
IN OUR UNION IS THAT IT'S MORAL
DISTRESS.
AND YOU KNOW, HOSPITAL SYSTEMS
HAVE THE MONEY.
MY HOSPITAL SYSTEM RECEIVED A
BILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL COVID
RELIEF MONEY.
THAT CAN BE USED TO ACTUALLY
BRING IN MORE STAFF AND RETAIN
THE STAFF.
>> WE HAVE 45 SECONDS LEFT.
ELIZABETH AQUINO YOUR
ASSOCIATION WORKED ON THE
NURSING STAFFING IMPROVEMENT ACT
AND IT'S BEEN SENT TO THE
GOVERNOR FOR HIS SIGNATURE.
WHAT WOULD THAT ACT DO?
>> IT IS A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO
STAFFING THAT USES
NURSING-DRIVEN FLEXIBLE STAFF
AGO APPROACH.
IT HELPS SUPPORT NURSES IN THREE
SIGNIFICANT WAYS: IT
STRENGTHENS THE NURSING VOICE
THE DIRECT CARE REGISTERED NURSE
RELATED TO STAFFING DECISIONS,
STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF THE
NURSING CARE COMMITTEE WHO
ADDRESS THE STAFFING ISSUES
WITHIN THEIR INSTITUTION.
AND IT HOLDS HOSPITALS
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE PROVISIONS
UNDER THE LAW.
>> OK.
WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU AND THANK