web1_Victoria-secret-vid.jpg

Police: Two men, woman stole ladies clothing in brazen Victoria’s Secret theft

web1_TTL012519HSBB-GAR-Sem_3.jpg

WVC boys basketball: Wyoming Seminary survives GAR

<p>You&#8217;re tired of reading it. We&#8217;re tired of writing it.</p><p>Once again, nurses at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital appear to be on the brink of a strike.</p><p>Aside from the obvious importance of any hospital as a provider of health care, WBGH is Luzerne County&#8217;s fifth-largest employer, according to state Labor Department statistics &#8212; behind only federal and state government, Amazon and fellow health care organization Geisinger.</p><p>Given that, these strained relations are bad for all concerned. The ongoing acrimony also is an embarrassment to this community.</p><p>We are not taking sides, but we do have some questions. We also can&#8217;t help notice a clear difference in how each camp is addressing the situation in public.</p><p>The nurses have organized a campaign that is capturing the attention of many, including lawmakers, citing statistics and making emotional appeals.</p><p>The hospital tends to be more terse in its statements, mostly offering assurances that the organization remains committed to quality care and bargaining in good faith.</p><p>Neither approach is a surprise, perhaps, but it&#8217;s what each side doesn&#8217;t say that leaves us scratching our heads.</p><p>For example, the hospital this week condemned the union for &#8220;threatening to take nurses away from their patients.&#8221; That contrasts oddly with how the hospital locked the nurses out for several days after a strike last year.</p><p>The nurses, meanwhile, have continued to cite a state review last year which found deficiencies the hospital was ordered to address, arguing that they have not been addressed. A hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday that the health department performed follow-up visits and found the hospital to be compliant in meeting the required standards of care.</p><p>The core issue, nurses continue to insist, is staffing.</p><p>In a story in Thursday&#8217;s edition, reporter Jennifer Learn-Andes describes how the nurses appeared before Luzerne County Council on Tuesday night in search of support.</p><p>Operating room nurse Jamie Fleming cited a ratio of six or seven patients per nurse at WBGH, which she and her colleagues say is not safe for anyone.</p><p>In a response to the Times Leader following a presentation by the nurses earlier this month, a WBGH spokeswoman said the hospital has not downsized nursing staff, either through attrition or otherwise, and continuously posts all nursing positions.</p><p>What WBGH has not publicly revealed is what the staffing ratios are, however.</p><p>When asked, a spokeswoman provided this response on Thursday: &#8220;The hospital&#8217;s staffing plans are reviewed and deemed appropriate by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and The Joint Commission.&#8221;</p><p>We aren&#8217;t suggesting the hospital fight this battle in the press. The most important discussions now are those that are supposed to take place around the bargaining table.</p><p>The only scheduled negotiation before the strike date was Thursday, and that ended with both sides agreeing to meet again next week. We would encourage both sides to keep working to head off another strike, which is still looming on the horizon.</p><p>No matter what happens next, we believe it would go a long way toward building confidence and goodwill if hospital officials would confirm its nursing staffing ratios for the public.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><em> &#8212; Times Leader</em></p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL010518WBGeneral-1-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre General Hospital </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL010518WBGeneral-1-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre General Hospital </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Our View: Hospital, nurses need to reach agreement