On September 15th,
2014 Kingwood medical center is restructuring their nursing staff. In simpler
terms, they are taking 100 jobs and reducing them to around 50. What does this
mean to you, the patient?..... A lot!
       First let me explain to you the jobs
this is affecting.
Unit secretaries: She is the first
smile you see when you walk on our floor. She answers the phone, enters doctor’s
orders in your charts, answers your calls, and is the heart of our floor. She is
our community’s grandmother, single mom, student, and many are only a few years
from retirement. She just lost her job.
CNA: The certified nurse’s aid is the
soul of our care. He or She has gone to school to learn how to take your
vitals, blood sugar, bring you water, bathe you, and care for you on the most
intimate level. They are the nurses backbone. Half of them just lost their job.
Furthermore, they are being replaced with staff that are not going to be
certified.
Monitor techs: This is the person you
do not see but they watch you very closely. If you wear a telemetry box, this
is the person receiving and interpreting the data feed from that box. They monitor
your heart for rhythm changes, blocks, and are the first responders if you go
into cardiac arrest. In the restructure they will not be monitoring you as
closely anymore. They will also be taking on the duties of unit secretary and CNA,
only they are not going to be certified and your RN will be picking up the
extra duties they cannot do, leaving less time for you.
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  These changes do not support
patient safety, satisfaction, or our community and job growth. These ladies and
gentlemen that have dedicated years of their life (some being only a few years
away from retirement) mean nothing but a budget cut to Kingwood medical center
and in the end, the person that will pay for it is you, our patient. Do not
support a hospital that puts money before your safety and care. 4951