"A broad array of research on this topic has found an association between lower nurse staffing levels and higher rates of some adverse patient outcomes." Safe staffing really does save lives. -US Dept. of Health and Human Services
By now you have likely heard about the crisis going on at Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC), the largest hospital in our area and the largest employer north of Bath. But you may not have heard from those who do the work–the nurses themselves. On Monday, April 25 at 6pm at the Bangor Public Library, you will have a chance to hear firsthand from those who have struggled for months to get management to address staffing shortages and other issues, which they see as seriously threatening patient care at Bangor’s community hospital.
EMMC management has regularly purchased ads in the Bangor Daily News that disparage the nurses’ union, but the nurses and community members who have been affected by the issue of staffing shortages and the ongoing labor dispute at EMMC have not had an equivalent chance to speak.
The Worker Rights Board of Eastern Maine (WRB), a group of community leaders with a mission to provide a community forum to legitimize workers’ voices and to help remedy workplace injustices, is holding the Public Forum On Staffing and Healthcare Quality at EMMC on Monday night to amplify these voices that are so critical to the future of our hospital. Members of the WRB will compile testimony from the forum and release a public response.
These leaders are involved because the hospital is a vital part of our community. Please join us to hear from those who do the work and send the message that their voices matter.
What: Public Forum on Staffing and Healthcare Quality at EMMC
When: MONDAY Night, April 25th 6 pm
Where: Bangor Public Library, 3rd floor lecture hall
To RSVP or if you have questions, please call 989-5860 or e-mail wrb@foodandmedicine.org. This notice was sent out by FoodANDMedicine Maine.
