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West Side hospital loses nurses to McCormick Place which is paying more
A West Side hospital says it is overwhelmed with coronavirus patients and its nurses were bolting for the higher pay at McCormick Place.
CHICAGO - A West Side hospital says it is overwhelmed with coronavirus patients and its nurses were bolting for the higher pay at McCormick Place.
Not only is Saint Anthony Hospital pushed to the limit with COVID-19 patients, it's also lost about 27 nurses since the coronavirus began, putting a strain on resources.
“Our numbers, not only [have they not dropped], if anything we’re seeing more and more positive patients and sick ones,” said Dr. Eden Takhsh, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at Saint Anthony Hospital.
Meanwhile, the number of nurses at Saint Anthony Hospital has dropped. Dr. Takhsh says 15 of the 27 nurses that have left since the coronavirus began chose not to renew their contracts and took off to McCormick Place.
“McCormick Place was offering approximately 2 to 3 times the salary that we were providing,” the doctor said.
About 8 of those 15 nurses worked in the ICU, which Dr. Takhsh says throughout the past few weeks has been at 120 to 140 percent capacity.
“We would never and we will never turn any patient away,” the doctor said.
Dr. Takhsh says once the city and state department of public health recognized the shift in nurses to McCormick Place, they put a stop to it quickly.
“We put specific controls in place so that we are not canalizing the staff of any Chicago or regional hospital,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
But for Saint Anthony Hospital, it was not soon enough.
“The damage was already done to a hospital like ours. Our staff have stepped up, they’re taking extra shifts,” Dr. Takhsh said.
The hospital has made accommodations for the overflow of ICU patients, including in the surgical unit, emergency department and a specially created COVID unit.
“This is not a cry to say ‘look at us we are breaking apart.’ This is saying that we are strong, but we need attention, and the funding and the help to keep treating the people,” said Dr. Takhsh.
It is important to note that Saint Anthony Hospital is a safety-net hospital with a majority of patients under a Medicaid plan or they are uninsured. Dr. Takhsh says 100 percent of their COVID patients have been African American and Hispanic.