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View Winners → Dear Editor: Hoodwinked at Huntington rally?
Arcadia Weekly Nov 26, 2014
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Dear Editor:
I appreciate the time you took to discuss your recent article regarding “Registered Nurses Rally at Huntington Hospital.” And I would like to offer my insight on this rally.
I’ve been employed by Huntington Hospital as a Respiratory Therapist since June 1975. I’ve worked in many patient care areas at Huntington throughout my career. I’ve worked in ER, Intensive Care unit, Recovery, and throughout the hospital in all patient care areas. My role requires me to provide direct patient care to patients assigned to me. I work collaboratively with the nurses and physicians in these patient care areas. Throughout my career of 39 years, in addition to working at Huntington, I’ve also worked part time or Per Diem as a Respiratory Therapist at many other hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley. I state this to help you understand my role and observations of patient care.
My observations of patient care at Huntington Hospital have always been of the highest level of care delivered to our patients. Huntington staff, myself included, take great pride in the quality of care our patients receive on a daily basis.
I believe you were “hoodwinked” when you were reporting on the rally recently held at Huntington Hospital. I say this because in my opinion this rally wasn’t about quality of care, it was about the union supporters deceiving the public and claiming poor patient care in an attempt to get media coverage, sympathy and support from the public. I wonder why the union needs to camouflage their real intent of union organization?
The union has been trying very hard over many years to organize Huntington employees and has thus far been unsuccessful. This is one of the strongest pushes by the union that I’ve witnessed. It seems they are willing to cross all boundaries and misstate truth to accomplish their goals. Unfortunately the union has to result to these deceptive practices to get face time with the media. I wonder what turnout they would have gotten if it was simply billed as a union organization rally?
I was also disappointed to see Congresswoman Judy Chu at the rally. It’s hard for me to understand how she can be at a rally stating “poor patient care” and also be pictured in the hospital’s internal newsletter “The Pulse” posing with several Huntington Hospital doctors and staff supporting the outstanding care provided by the Huntington Hospital Cancer Center. It makes one wonder about her motives!
In your article you mention the recent computer conversion that has taken place at Huntington Hospital. I acknowledge this conversion has been very trying and painful to many of us. But this is the way of the future. Most all hospitals have either done the same or are currently in the process of upgrading their record keeping on computers. The union would have you believe that this compromised patient care. I don’t believe this. Patient care is provided by humans, not computers. Computers record what has been performed and it is up to staff to provide the care and then record their actions. Granted, it is frustrating to learn new ways and at times exhausting, but our patients have and will continue to benefit from this computer conversion.
The union frequently has used this computer conversion as leverage with staff to incite discouragement with the management team at Huntington Hospital. The union has failed to inform staff that if the union had been on board the union would have no control over the computer being implemented.
As an example you just need to look at the Kaiser system of health care. It has an enormous representation of the union, and they also have a sophisticated patient care computer system that at one time had to be implemented. And I’m sure the staff went through many growing pains.
Also in your article you stated current concerns regarding EBOLA safe guards and training. In my opinion EBOLA is the scariest medical issue to hit our country in my lifetime. It has taken many health care facilities by surprise. Huntington has been very assertive in designing policies and procedures to safeguard us, and continues to adjust these as new information is made available. It takes time to get all the required equipment and procedures in place. I believe Huntington is acting on this as quickly as possible.
In the 70’s-80’s we had a large influx of patients with complex illnesses due to HIV. It seemed we had an AIDS epidemic. Hospital procedures were adjusted to cope with these issues, and standards of care were continually adjusted.
I don’t believe, if the union had been in place, procedures and equipment could be in place any faster. Again I believe it’s the union attempting to prey on the insecurities of staff and incite them to be dissatisfied.
I’ve never worked at a union hospital but I have discussed the union work environment with many staff members who have, and it is not a pleasant picture.
I hope sincerely that our staff can see through the smokescreen put out by the union and soundly reject their attempts to organize!
I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to express my view and hope it has enlightened your opinion of Huntington Memorial Hospital.
Sincerely,
Kevin Durston
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