BOSTON — Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses are set to hit the picket line on Wednesday, which means agency nurses are coming to fill in temporarily.
[ Brigham and Women’s Hospital preparing for 5-day work stoppage ahead of one-day nurse strike ]
For some families with patients being treated at the hospital, they’re worried the inconsistency in care could put their loved ones at risk.
Peter Caikauskas has been traveling back and forth from Western New York to Boston for the last five months, helping care for his dad, Kevin, who had a double lung transplant in February.
The 61-year-old has lived with an autoimmune disease which attacked his lungs, meaning what should have been a several hour surgery turned into 15.
“It made recovery a lot harder and longer than expected,” Caikauskas said.
Since the surgery, there have been many ups and downs, dealing with bouts of pneumonia, never truly able to reach a stable point in his recovery.
“He’s still on a ventilator, he’s on dialysis, he’s been on ecmo, he’s on a feeding tube, he has pressure wounds, ongoing infection concerns and that’s not even everything so it’s like chaos. He’s highly complex and very critical and fighting for his life every single day,” Caikauskas said.
With a looming nurses strike, Caikauskas is worried his dad won’t receive the same care he’s been getting, care that he says has kept his dad alive.
“I support the nurses and what they’re fighting for. I’m also terrified for a strike because of what it’ll mean for my dad’s care,” said Caikauskas.
“There’s so many little things that knowing him and having spent so much time with him truly make his day and care that much better. In my opinion, the best nurse could come fill in but hasn’t spent time with him and cannot give him the same care that someone who has been with him for the last 5 months can give him and that’s my fear.”
Nurses voted to authorize a one-day strike, but temp nurses have to work a minimum of 5-days which is why Brigham nurses won’t be allowed back in the hospital until Monday.
“They could come back but are going to have to wait four more days while my dad is getting temporary care from people that don’t know him because they’re not being allowed back in when they could be back helping them, that’s what infuriates me honestly,” Caikauskas said.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital provided the following statement:
“Brigham and Women’s Hospital takes seriously the union’s decision to issue a strike notice and is fully prepared to continue providing safe, high-quality care throughout a work stoppage. Our teams have been planning extensively, and our top priority remains the safety of our patients, visitors and staff.
While the Massachusetts Nurses Association has noticed a one-day strike beginning July 8 at 7 a.m., the work stoppage at Brigham and Women’s Hospital would last five days, ending July 13 at 7 a.m. This is necessary because of the extensive operational and emergency preparedness measures required to ensure continuity of patient care, including contracting with qualified agency nurses for a minimum five-day period. We are working around the clock to ensure our patients receive safe, patient care no matter the union’s decision.
Highly qualified agency nurses will be integrated into our care teams, receive orientation before their first shift and work alongside Brigham clinicians, providers and leaders. Many of these nurses regularly practice at leading academic medical centers across the country. The hospital will remain open and operational, and patients should continue to come to scheduled appointments unless they hear directly from their care team.
Qualified agency nurses will support care during the work stoppage and will be integrated with Brigham care teams. Providers and leaders will have an increased presence on units, including during key transition and handoff periods. Patients will be contacted directly if there are any changes to an appointment, procedure or care plan. We will provide regular updates to patients, employees and the public throughout the work stoppage period."
The strike starts at 7 a.m. Wednesday and lasts through 7 a.m. Thursday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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