Concerns Raised About St. Mary Medical Center Staffing, Unionization Efforts

Concerns have been raised about staffing levels at St. Mary Medical Center.

The worries about staffing and patient safety have been raised by sources who have spoken to LevittownNow.com. Similar concerns and ones relating “interference” in staff members’ attempts to unionize have also been brought to a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

The lawmakers wrote a letter in July to Dr. Lawrence Brilliant, St. Mary Medical Center’s president.

The letter to Brilliant was sent by State Sen. Tommy Tomlinson, State Rep. Frank Farry, State Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, State Rep. John Galloway, State. Rep. Tina Davis, State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, State Rep. Perry Warren, and Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia.

The letter said the lawmakers met with a group of nurses who “expressed concerns regarding patient care, safety, and staffing ratios at the hospital.” The letter notes the key role the Middletown hospital plays in the local health care sector and mentions the issues have been raised by staff with management and the results did not satisfy them.

Two sources with knowledge of operations at the 371-bed  hospital stated that staff to patient ratios have been concerning for years and recent changes in the operation of the hospital have increased concern by some staff members. 

“We closely monitor appropriate nurse-to-patient ratios to ensure each person in our care receives the services they need and deserve. We are proud of the quality, compassionate care we provide to our community, thanks in large part to our dedicated nursing and other staff. Nursing staffing levels have remained steady for the last several years without bedside nursing reductions, in fact, we are hiring,” Ann D’Antonio, the vice president of marketing and communications for Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, said of concerns about staffing levels. 

St. Mary Medical Center has been owned by Trinity Health since it merged with former hospital owner Catholic Health East in 2013. It reformed under the five-hospital Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic system last year.

In the letter from lawmakers, allegations were raised that the hospital engaged in “significant interference” as staff attempted to have a vote on whether to unionize. It was further stated Trinity Health engaged a firm at the cost of millions of dollars to try to defeat the unionization attempt. A complaint was also filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

Sources said Florida firm Yessin and Associates engaged in work to halt the unionization efforts supported by Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) at the hospital. The firm works with organizations looking to hold back unionization campaigns. 

The bipartisan group of lawmakers called for the hospital to reconsider actions taken to stop a union vote and work to re-energize their relationship with staff.

“Several of us have also been directly responsible for successful [Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program] grants that have brought millions of dollars back to St. Mary,” the lawmakers noted in their letter.

Brilliant, Vice President of Patient Care Monica Eckhardt, and Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic President James Woodward called the letter sent by the elected officials inaccurate and stated it had “misrepresentations.”

The hospital administrators said the portion of the lawmakers’ letter about “re-establishing the professional partnership between the staff at St. Mary” was an “outrageous insult” to hospital staff and management, adding the relationship “never waned.”

The letter also defended the quality of the hospital and suggested lawmakers call the quality department to get information. The letter urged lawmakers to compare the ratings at the Middletown facility compared to ones at hospitals unionized by PASNAP.

“The fact is our ratios (hospital care staff to patient) are better than any hospital we know of in the county, and most in our region,” the hospital administrators said.

In closing, the hospital administrators stated they felt PASNAP did not represent the majority of nurses and that most would want to remain free of a union.

The hospital administrators claimed in their letter that the one sent to them by the lawmakers was provided by the union.

Sources connected with the group of lawmakers said the union did provide a letter, but the lawmakers drafted their own version after meeting with nurses and PASNAP. State Rep. Farry confirmed to LevittownNow.com the letter he signed onto was not the one provided by the union and was independent.

State Sen. Santarsiero responded to the three hospital administrators’ letter by noting the “condescending tone.” He further said the nurses will make the decision if they want a union to represent them and not Trinity Health, adding the law forbids employers from certain types of interference.

“Let the nurses have a free and fair process to determine whether they will join the union,” he wrote.

When asked numerous questions about the claims, health system spokesperson D’Antonio told this news organization they are committed to a “fair and values-based workplace in which our nurses can grow and develop, and we value the direct relationship we have with them.” 

Nurses spoke out last week at a press conference supporting unionization efforts with Democratic and Republican lawmakers outside of the hospital. 

Donna Halpern, a nurse at the hospital, spoke up and said the hospital made $55 million for Trinity Health, but there have still been talk of cuts. She urged her colleagues to vote in favor of the union and make their concerns known. 

Nurses Joe and Jim Gentile, who are twins, said that the Trinity Health has shifted from health care to “health business.” 

There was a previous attempt to unionize nurses in 2016 but efforts fizzled. 

A vote among nurses on unionization is expected next week.