6 days Ago
I, like many of the area’s residents, am thrilled to learn of Carilion Clinic’s plans to bring “all-star cancer care” to the region. Unfortunately, many of my friends and relatives have experienced a diagnosis of one type of cancer or another and started treatment at Carilion but sought second opinions or transferred full care and treatment outside the Roanoke Valley. It would be awesome to think they don’t have to look for these outside opinions or treatment options.
But what gives me pause about this new and expanded cancer center is the staffing issue. Over the past six months, I had the “opportunity” to experience care at Carilion on numerous occasions due to health care problems with family members. We’ve been in the emergency room repeatedly and seen “eventual” admissions to both a progressive care unit and a medical-surgical unit.
Here’s the issue: Aside from housekeeping and food service, the staff who provided most of the care for my family were “travelers,” meaning they were not actual Carilion employees. Although one might not readily recognize the travelers from regular staff, I was told to look for the yellow strip on the name badge. That simple yet subtle designation sets the travelers apart.
Once I became aware of this clue, I became more attentive to the name badges and began openly questioning the professionals who cared for my family members. Just as I suspected, the vast majority (and the total, in one instance) of nurses and therapists were travelers. The shortage of professionally trained individuals to fill positions at CRMH and many other health care facilities nationwide makes it challenging to meet adequate staffing numbers.
It also resulted in (and continues to result in) extended times in the emergency waiting room. One family member had vital signs, medication administrations, and “education” completed in the waiting room for all to see and hear. This is, in my opinion, and that of many others, a direct violation of patient privacy rights, aka HIPAA.
Explanations for the extended wait times were always the same, “no beds available.” And why was that? In every instance, the response to that question was the lack of nurses to staff all the existing beds. Thus, some areas were “unavailable.
” Even entire units were closed. Similar issues exist outside of the hospital. When discharge recommendations for one family member included a referral to Carilion’s Center for Healthy Aging, the lack of professional staffing thwarted efforts to schedule an appointment.
I was told that the wait list was at least six months long and that “We will call you when we have an opening. Don’t bother to call us back.” The same thing happened with pulmonary care.
Again, the waitlist in that department is at least five months long due to the lack of staffing. So, tell me, if Carilion cannot adequately staff its existing facilities and clinical services, how can it possibly think it will be able to staff this new “all-star cancer care?” Susan Wirt, Catawba.
