Nurses survey critical of AMITA network

The Illinois Nurses Association released a membership survey critical of AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and other hospitals under the same ownership group.

The survey follows a strike last year at the Joliet hospital aimed in part at increasing staffing levels.

“While a majority of nurses voted for this contract, there are still many nurses who want to see more progress on safe staffing,” Pat Meade, a registered nurse at AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet and also vice president of the Illinois Nurses Association, the union that represents nurses at the Joliet hospital, said in a news release from the union.

The news release regarding a survey of 955 nurses in the newly formed Ascension Coalition of Unions, a group of union health care workers who work for Midwestern hospitals under the Ascension umbrella, said that meetings with management since the Joliet strike have not led to progress in staffing issues.

St. Louis, Missouri-based Ascension Health and Florida-based AdventHealth jointly own the AMITA network of 19 hospitals.

“The coalition was established to oppose the growing and sometimes unchecked anti-employee policies and practices nurses and other union employees witness at Ascension-run hospitals,” the news release said.

An AMITA spokesman on Thursday said he had not previously seen the the survey and did not provide a response.

The news release reported that the survey of nurses found:

• 80% report trouble maintaining staff at their hospital;

• 72% report that patients either do not or only sometimes receive “safe, quality care”;

• 71% report that since November 1 their hospital has continued to perform

elective surgeries;

* 60% agree or strongly agree with the statement, “I have considered quitting my job

due to stress, exhaustion, or safety concerns during the pandemic”;

• 40% agree or strongly agree with the statement: “I am afraid to go into work due to

COVID-related concerns.”