Rick Lucas, president of the Ohio Nurses Association, at a rally to protest hospital administration after the assault of a nurse at work. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor
At the steps of Rhodes Hall Wednesday night, an Ohio nurses union demanded the hospital to strengthen protections for staff in light of its response after a physical altercation between a postpartum nurse and father over a week ago.
The Ohio State University Nurses Organization held a rally of about 40 nurses, faculty and supporters at the park outside the main entrance of the hall, urged the Wexner Medical Center to retract a public statement describing the incident, called for the resignation of a top hospital administrator and demanded more security to protect nurses at work.
In addition to the demands, various speakers spoke about the nurses’ experience and the growing trend of workplace violence within hospitals. Tony Myers, president of the Ohio State University Nurses Association, said that the event that took place within the hospital was not an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence, but rather an institutional failure.
“We all know that this is not the first time something like this has happened. Yet still, time after time, OSU does nothing when violent incidents occur,” Myers said. “Executives who make millions of dollars tell us that there’s not enough money for better security. Whether these incidents harm staff or patients, the hospital administration has the same goal: downplay what happened with hyper media scrutiny.”
Marti Leitch, the director of media relations for the Wexner Medical Center, said in a statement the center continues to support its nurses during the police investigation and court proceedings.
“We cannot express enough that violence against health care providers must stop,” Leitch said. “We regularly review and update security and safety procedures in order to provide the safest environment possible for everyone, and to provide support for our colleagues whenever violent incidents do occur.”
Myers said that healthcare workers are not expendable, and violence should not be part of their job.
“When leaders choose public relations over the safety of their own staff, they create a workplace where every one of us is at risk and puts our patient care at risk as well,” Myers said.
Throughout the protest, red and black ribbons were handed out, symbolizing remembrance and courage, said Rick Lucas, president of the Ohio Nurses Association.
“These ribbons are more than symbols, they are conversation starters,” Lucas said. “They are a way to tell leadership that we are united. We’re paying attention, and we will not tolerate violence being minimized or brushed aside.”
Lucas also said that hospital administration is not doing enough about these incidents, as they continue to happen. He called for the hospital administration to stop minimizing the incident, and to stop pretending like this is normal.
“We’re here tonight because the nurse showed up to work. She did everything right,” Lucas said. “She was in the break room. She heard a commotion in the hallway, walked out to see what was going on, and saw a baby in danger, and she sprung into action to protect a life.”
Lucas said that the actions of hospital leadership after the incident has been despicable, saying that the hospital publicly stating that she was dragged by her collar was diminishing the actual incident.
He also said that after this statement was released, the nurse felt that she had to “justify her truth,” and say that she didn’t make this up.
On a sign at the rally, a quote that the nurse said after the hospital’s press release was on display.
“I didn’t make this up… this was horrific and I thought I was gonna die,” the sign read. “I thought he was gonna take my badge and escape with me and kill me… that’s what I thought… I thought… this is how they are going to have to tell my daughter I wasn’t coming home… that her mom had been killed by a violent person at work.”
Lucas then called for Elizabeth Seely, chief administrative officer at the Wexner Medical Center, to resign, arguing that if she signed off on that press release, then she diminished what happened. Lucas also claimed that on the first press release, they got the nurse’s name wrong and had to correct it.
To end his speech, Lucas said that without the healthcare workers, a hospital is just a big building. He called for administration to staff security to protect staff so workplace violence is a thing of the past.
Lucas said that with an incident in the past, the university told them that there were not enough resources to staff security in a room with a patient prone to violence.
“They told us they didn’t have the resources to leave somebody there, but you know where they had resources?” Lucas said. “In the gift shop to prevent theft and loss of their damn sweatshirts. They could put somebody there to guard their OSU merch, but didn’t give a damn about somebody being choked out in the hospital.”
Background on the incident
According to Ohio State, on Nov. 6, around 7 p.m., a male visitor was engaging in disruptive behavior while holding a newborn, according to another statement from Leitch. A postpartum nurse stepped into the situation, and the man pulled her shirt collar while she was attempting to secure the baby.
The man released the baby unharmed and was taken to the emergency department for medical evaluation, Leitch said in an email.
In addition, hospital security and University Police responded to de-escalate the situation, according to the statement.
The union said Ohio State’s statement underplays what happened.
In a letter addressed to Elizabeth Seely, a chief administrative officer at the medical center, Lucas criticized the hospital’s response to the situation, claiming the nurse was strangled but was not seen in the emergency department, nor did anyone ask her if she was okay.
“I’m writing you tonight because what happened in your hospital tonight is beyond unacceptable—it’s inhumane,” Lucas said.
Lucas said that the father was fighting with the mother while holding a toddler in one hand and “a newborn dangling in the other.”
The letter states the nurse stepped into the situation to remove the baby when she was strangled by the father.
“We are demanding an immediate retraction and correction of any statements made by OSU officials — including those by Leitch — that minimize or misrepresent the violent assault that occurred within your hospital,” Lucas said in an email to the medical center executives.
