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WILKES-BARRE — The Pennsylvania Department of Health cited Wilkes-Barre General Hospital last week for inadequate staffing and other violations found after an unannounced on-site review Sept. 10-14.

The review was initiated after registered nurses of the Wyoming Valley Nurses Association submitted a packet of “documented patient care and staffing concerns” at Wilkes-Barre General, according to a press release from the union.

Hospital spokeswoman Renita Fennick said Wilkes-Barre General has “implemented a plan of correction” to address the problems. And that plan “was accepted by DOH after concluding a follow-up survey which found our hospital to be compliant in meeting the required standards of care.”

The state investigation came against the backdrop of ongoing contract talks between the nurses union and the hospital’s owner, Community Health Systems.

And those talks were marked by a one-day strike by nurses May 31 and then a lockout by the for-profit chain CHS until June 5.

The statement by the union details staffing shortages found during the review period, saying the Department of Health determined that hospital management “failed to schedule a sufficient number of RNs and/or ancillary staff on the nursing units for 81 of 148 shifts reviewed.”

The report also found 91 open RN positions and reliance on an excessive use of overtime.

The union press release says state investigators cited the hospital for a total of 19 violations of state and federal health regulations. Besides staffing, those violations included patient rights and emergency services.

The union says investigators found the emergency department “has consistently failed to have adequate trauma nurse coverage,” forcing RNs to be pulled off patient assignments to cover. It also points to the review of three medical records that found two instances of medication being administered late.

“This aligns with the report’s finding that staffing is inadequate, which causes delays in patient care as nurses become overwhelmed with their patient assignments,” the union states.

The findings were based on interviews with at least 61 Wilkes-Barre General employees and multiple patients, as well as a review of schedules and records.

“We have been raising nurses’ concerns to management on a day-to-day basis and throughout our contract bargaining,” said Elaine Weale, a registered nurse and president of the Wyoming Valley Nurses Association. “Community Health Systems has not established standards that will recruit and retain enough registered nurses. The report underlines what we’ve always said, they are putting profits before patients.”

But in her statement, spokeswoman Fennick said, “Providing safe, quality care is our priority.”

She adds: “Leadership of the hospital — administration, medical staff and board of trustees — is engaged to monitor progress and identify opportunities for continued improvement.”

‘C’ grade

Meanwhile, an independent watchdog group recently gave the hospital a “C” grade for patient safety.

The grade was part of The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2018 hospital safety report. It found below-average performance “on various metrics including the rate of some infections, patient falls, and dangerous bed sores,” according to the union.

The Wyoming Valley Nurses Association is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.

WVNA has been negotiating a contract with the hospital for the last year.

The hospital’s statement says it “remains focused on productive negotiations so a mutually acceptable agreement can be reached.”

Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is seen in this file photo. The state Department of Health found staffing and other violations at the hospital during a September investigation. A hospital spokeswoman says a ‘plan of correction’ was implemented to remedy the issues.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL010518WBGeneral-1-1-1-1.jpg.optimal.jpgWilkes-Barre General Hospital is seen in this file photo. The state Department of Health found staffing and other violations at the hospital during a September investigation. A hospital spokeswoman says a ‘plan of correction’ was implemented to remedy the issues.
Nurses have complained about open positions, excessive overtime

By Times Leader Staff

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.