Health care workers at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center picketed Wednesday afternoon, chanting, “When I say staffing, you say now!” They demanded a larger workforce and better working conditions.
The IAM Healthcare Union, a union representing healthcare professionals such as clinicians, technicians, and caregivers across the country, organized the picket, which drew approximately 200 front-line medical staff members and community supporters from noon to 1:30 p.m. Participants held signs and chanted outside the University Hospital, located at 410 W. 10th Ave., urging Ohio State administrators to invest in safer staffing levels.
Picket participants expressed concern that medical worker understaffing is causing staff burnout and jeopardizing patient safety.
The IAM Healthcare Union will represent the center’s patient care associates and psychiatric care technicians after they receive certification from the State Employment Relations Board in 2024.
According to a media advisory from the IAM Healthcare Union, the group is currently negotiating with Wexner hospital management for its first collective bargaining agreement.
According to the media advisory, Ohio State’s new hire turnover rate is more than 50% per year.
Rich Nadeau, an IAM union representative, stated that those who signed up to participate in the picket rotated in 30-minute shifts. Protesters were given T-shirts, picket signs, lunch, and water before joining the crowd on the sidewalk.
Throughout the event, demonstrators carried signs and chanted slogans such as “Whose hospital? Our hospital!” and “1-2-3-4: this is what we’re fighting for! 5-6-7-8, safety for Ohio State!” Passing cars honked in support, and a woman driving by rolled down her window to inform the crowd that she had protested understaffing as a nurse 40 years before.
Dylan England-Carroll, a senior psychiatric care technician on Harding Hospital’s fifth floor, was one of the picketers.
The hospital primarily treats decompensated psychosis patients, or people with pre-existing mental health conditions who are experiencing worsening symptoms.
They emphasized that staffing shortages at Harding—and throughout Wexner Medical Center—have a direct impact on patient care.
“We’re looking for respect, recruitment, and retention—safe staffing,” England-Carroll said, pointing to signs carried by demonstrators.
England-Caroll stated that staff shortages can cause patient suffering and confusion.
“Especially at Harding, we want to make a human connection with the patients, but when we have only one or two techs on the floor, we’re rushing around and we’re not able to make them feel safe,” England-Carrol complained.
England-Carroll stated that many psychiatric patients suffer from debilitating paranoia, making trust-building essential for their treatment. However, when staff is stretched thin, patients may perceive them as impersonal or untrustworthy, slowing their recovery.
England-Caroll added that understaffing has a mental toll on Wexner Medical Center employees.
“I think a lot of us are drawn to this job because we have a natural inclination to care for people, but it’s hard to sustain that when we’re just trying to keep ourselves afloat financially, let alone keep our patients safe,” she said. “We feel like we’re failing our patients, and then we come home drained, with nothing left to give to our families or friends.”
Respect, according to England-Carroll, includes a fair wage.
“We work for the beacon of health care in central Ohio,” England-Caroll stated. “Why do employees have to deal with poverty wages? It just blows my mind.
I don’t think patients realize that the people drawing their blood and performing their EKGs are paid pitiful wages because we work alongside doctors and nurses who make decent money.”
Marti Leitch, director of media relations at Wexner Medical Center, stated in an email that the medical center “has taken many steps to retain, recruit and support our patient care associates (PCAs) and psychiatric care technicians (PCTs).”
“This fiscal year we have hired more than 300 of these positions with another 50 set to join us soon,” Leitch told the crowd. “We’ve implemented technology to improve patient monitoring, allowing PCAs and PCTs to make full use of their skill set and increasing job satisfaction.
We offer a competitive wage and benefits package that prioritizes employee well-being and our long-standing commitment to patient safety.”
Lyndsee Cody, a senior PCA in the colorectal and bariatric surgery unit who attended Wednesday’s protest, stated that the picket was primarily intended to advocate for safe staffing, better patient care, and better working conditions.
“Our motive today is to increase awareness and hope that OSU realizes what we’re really going through on the floor, in the inpatient world and what we experience every day taking care of patients without enough hands,” Cody told the crowd.
She described the workload that PCAs on her floor have. The 23-bed unit is typically staffed by only two PCAs per shift, with each responsible for 11 to 12 patients, many of whom are recent post-surgical cases requiring intensive care, Cody said.
“We’re talking about acute care patients, fresh surgeries, bariatric and colorectal cases, lots of drains, very sick patients,” says Cody. “They require Q2 turns, assistance getting up, and full assistance with basic care. We cannot be in 12 rooms at once.
And I see neglect, not intentional neglect, but we are unable to fully care for patients as we should due to time constraints.”
To keep up, Cody and her coworkers are required to begin vitals, input/output tracking, and blood sugar checks an hour and a half before their shifts officially begin, and they frequently arrive nearly two hours late.
“Coworkers are crying because they’re being overworked and overwhelmed,” Cody told me. “Something needs to change, and OSU needs to realize that.”
In response to union members’ concerns, Leitch stated that the Wexner Medical Center will continue to staff hospital units to “maintain standards of care and according to the level of care our patients need, as some areas have more critically ill patients than others.”
“These decisions are made through collaborative discussions with unit leaders, the charge nurse, the PCAs/PCTs and nurses on the unit,” Leitch told me.
According to the media advisory, the next negotiation session between IAM Healthcare professionals and Ohio State administrators is set for Tuesday.
“We look forward to the union returning to negotiations to reach a fair contract that aligns with our shared goals and best serves our patients,” Leitch told the crowd.
