My Open Letter To Administrators and Nurses of The Medical Center

OPINION OF SID COLTON, PATCH MAYOR FOR THE HYDE PARK PATCH

Monday, September 23, 2019

Dear Nurses and Administrators, U of Chicago Medical Center,

Both sides have made their points, and both sides have made the "competitive" argument for their position.

It is now time for BOTH SIDES to only act on behalf of EVERY PATIENT.

There are innumerable and way too many horror stories coming out of the Emergency Room; and only-slightly-less-horrible stories coming out of almost every part of the Medical Center.

Endless arguing, by each side, about a theoretically best contract DOES NOT AT ALL deal with these horror stories that YOUR PATIENTS have.

Here is my plan for you. PLEASE ADOPT THIS PLAN TODAY!:

1. If the Emergency Room is five times busier than anticipated ... then obviously the UofC needs to have FIVE TIMES AS MANY EMPLOYEES AND FIVE TIMES AS MUCH SPACE in the Emergency Room compared to its original plan, to treat those patients humanely and correctly.

2. If any employee is working 18 hours consecutively, that employee is endangering both her own health and the health of the patients. No staff person must be allowed to work more than a written-in-stone number of hours. Just look at what other hospitals have written down for their employees, for guidance on this question!

3. Other issues that don't relate to these two issues MUST BE DEFERRED FOR NOW IN ORDER TO KEEP PATIENTS ALIVE AND HEALTHY and not needing to wait for up to 48 hours inside the Emergency Room waiting area; or to wait THREE MONTHS for an important appointment with a doctor in DCAM; or to wait AN HOUR on the telephone in order to make an appointment.

GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER AND START ACTING LIKE ADULTS. UofC, Hire more staff! Nurses ... Please defer your requests for monetary pay issues for future staff ... that is not relevant to SAVING LIVES TODAY!

Sincerely,

Sid Colton, Resident of Hyde Park Since September 1969