Illinois unionized healthcare workers say staffing shortages compromise safety

“Whether it’s in a nursing home, a hospital, wherever, staffing matters,” said Collins, also a bill sponsor. “I can tell you about the experience of having that wear and tear on your body and … the wear and tear on your mental (health) because you’re left with the unthinkable but you still show up every single day and put in the work and yet we have to legislate something that is fundamental.”

An SEIU survey of Chicago-area hospital workers from January 2023 found that 70% of respondents reported understaffing and over 25% of respondents reported carrying an unsafe or unmanageable workload. It also highlighted racial disparities in health care access.

“Patient lives are being lost, Black and brown lives in particular. Hospital workers are being injured, especially those working in Black and brown communities,” said Anne Igoe, vice president of the Health Systems Division at SEIU Healthcare Illinois. “Our hospitals need to be fully funded no matter where they’re located, and we need to ensure that our hospitals are properly staffed and workers are valued.”

Citing statistics from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, SEIU Healthcare said that hospitals in the U.S. in 2019 recorded 221,400 work-related injuries and illnesses, a rate of 5.5 work-related injuries for every 100 full-time employees “and almost twice the rate for private industry as a whole.”

Ashley Bingham, a nursing assistant at Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville, said she works at a behavioral health unit at the hospital and noted how she and her co-workers are put in danger by being physically attacked by patients because of being understaffed.

“We are being put in dangerous situations we know based upon our training that (are) unsafe,” Bingham said. “I’ve stayed because our patients are underserved and they need our help.”

Brad Solberg, interim president at Touchette Regional Hospital, issued a statement in response saying that the hospital “remains committed to ensuring a safe and secure working environment for our health care professionals.

“Over the past four months, we have seen a substantial decrease in incidences of workplace violence injuries at our facility. It serves as testament to our dedication to workplace safety,” Solberg said.

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