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MNA, AFSCME, and MAPE members are picketed outside Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC) yesterday to shine a spotlight on safety concerns after a nurse was violently attacked recently.
Workers from the unions picketed in front of the hospital from noon to 6 p.m.
In a press statement MNA asserts that, “AMRTC staff are at risk every day they walk through the doors because the hospital does not have needed security to prevent violence by patients and others.”
“That attack shows just how dangerous the working conditions are at AMRTC,” Carrie Mortrud, RN, said. “A nurse was severely injured and hospitalized for several days. Staff has been asking for more security for over a year, but the hospital has dismissed our valid, substantiated concerns and professional recommendations.”
“Security should not be optional,” said MAPE member Jennell Pettit. “Staff did not have a say in the termination of services from the Anoka Police Department, but now we just have to live with it. What staff experience at AMRTC would be considered assaults outside our walls in the community. Having no security and not having enough staff puts all visitors, clients, and staff at risk every time we go on the units or in our hallways.”
“Everyone deserves to come home safe from work,” said Lance Lemieux, a member of AFSCME Local 1307. “It’s the responsibility of management to guarantee the safety of workers – that’s the least they can do.”
The state commissioner of human services Tony Lourey said in a statement, “safety is a shared priority, and I’m confident that together we can address those concerns in a meaningful way.”