DETROIT (FOX 2) - After warning that they are in dire need of more staff in the emergency room, the physicians union at Ascension St. John in Detroit is planning a 24-hour strike for April 18.þþPatients at Ascension St. John Hospital are reportedly waiting as long as 17 hours in the ER. Members of the Greater Detroit Association of Emergency Physicians say that such extensive waits have become the norm.þþER Physician Assistant and union member Casey Kolp said there has been as many as ÿ50 patientsÿ in the waiting room, simultaneously.þþOne patient with active appendicitis waited six hours to be checked out, Kolp said. Another with a pulmonary embolism sat for four hours in the ER before seeing a doctor.þþÿThat’s a long time to sit in pain,ÿ Kolp said. ÿThat's a long time to be scared.ÿþþPrivate equity firms, such as Blackstone, are acquiring emergency room management services across the country through companies like TeamHealth, according to the union's website. Accusations have emerged from California and North Carolina of these firms reducing staff, cutting costs, and inflating rates to boost profits at the expense of the vulnerable. þþAscension St. John has also been facing the same issues, as TeamHealth handles their staffing.þþÿWe’ve had staff get assaulted,ÿ Kolp said. ÿTensions are high. When tensions are high, it’s not a healthy work environment for anyone.ÿþþThe staff shortages range from nurses, to lab technicians, to security, according to the union.þþGreater Detroit Association of Emergency Physicians members have been trying to sound the alarm to TeamHealth, but negotiations have stalled after seven months.þþOn Sunday night, union members voted to strike on April 18. Physicians and physician assistants that are part of the union will be walking out of the ER for 24 hours. þþÿThe union is filing its 10-day notice to strike for unfair labor practices and will hold a press conference this afternoon with Congressman Shri Thanedar outside the Emergency Room at 4 p.m.,ÿ according to a news release.þþThe ongoing issues prompted U.S. Senator Gary Peters and the Committee on Homeland Security to initiate an investigation into TeamHealth regarding its management at Ascension St. John, the union stated.þþÿNobody went to medical school to be on the picket line,ÿ said Dr. Michelle Wiener, an ER doctor and the union's president.þþOn the other side of the bargaining table, TeamHealth sent FOX 2 a statement that said the union has made ÿseveral public claims that are unequivocally false.ÿþþÿThe median door to doctor time at Ascension St. John Emergency Department in 2023 was 25 minutes. In 2024, wait times dropped to 17 minutes, far less than the 10 to 15 hours the union claims,ÿ according to TeamHealth. ÿThe Ascension St. John emergency department is fully staffed today.ÿþþThe third party company also assured the public that St. John's ER will be fully staffed and ready to treat patients in need of care during the strike.
Source: fox2detroit.com
