RNs Take Concerns to EMHS Corporate Headquarters Today

Nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center will deliver a petition to Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems on Thursday demanding that they take immediate steps to bring their corporate subsidiary, EMMC, into compliance with the safe staffing agreements made with registered nurses five months ago.

In July, EMMC nurses reached an agreement with the hospital that included staffing improvements in key nursing care areas. The agreement called for an additional 30 RNs to be hired to address staffing shortages but to date, chronic short staffing persists.

What: Press Conference - Nurses Speak Out on Need for Safe Staffing at EMMC
When: Thursday, Dec. 17, 2 pm
Where: Entrance drive to EMHS Cianchette Building, 43 Whiting Hill Road, Brewer, Maine

Rain location:  23 Water St., Suite 301 (Key Bank Building), Bangor, Maine

Hundreds of RNs have signed the “Pledge for Patient Protection” petition that will be delivered to EMHS Thursday. The petition makes specific demands regarding patient safety to the administration of EMHS and describes the deteriorating work environment at EMMC: 

"Despite recently winning a contract with new and groundbreaking patient protection language, we feel discouraged and disheartened as many of our colleagues are leaving EMMC, largely because of the conditions that we continue to experience at work and the attitude of EMMC management toward its nurses." 

“Our first commitment is to our patients and to the community that we serve,” said Cokie Giles, an EMMC nurse and statewide President of MSNA and one of the Council of Presidents for CNA/NNOC. “Our patients deserve better than to continue waiting for the staffing levels they were promised over five months ago.”

In November, the Chairperson of EMMC’s Board of Trustees refused an invitation from nurses to meet and discuss staffing issues at the medical center. A letter signed by Board Chair Liane Judd and sent to the Maine State Nurses Association stated, “…the EMMC Board respectfully declines to accept your invitation to meet with registered nurses to discuss current contractual and operational issues.” 

 “We are disappointed with EMMC’s response to our concerns since according to its mission and values statement, EMMC has a commitment to ‘promoting a workforce empowered to ensure the safest, most effective care possible,' and  'quality health services that are safe, effective, affordable and constantly improving,'" said RN Steve Akerly. "The Board of Trustees is in a great position to help us advocate for our patients. Instead, they allow the hospital to run with fewer nurses than we need to give the best care possible.” 

EMMC is one of eight Maine hospitals to be penalized this year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for poor patient safety scores.

MSNA/NNOC is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest U.S. organization of nurses. In Maine, MSNA represents over 2000 nurses who work in facilities and agencies throughout the state.