UPMC Western Psych nurses warn staffing shortages degrading patient care

Nurses and local officials warned Monday of the dangers of low staffing, high turnover and closed beds at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh amid what they described as a dire mental health crisis afflicting the nation.

Several dozen Western Psych workers represented by the SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania union raised their concerns during a rally outside the hospital in the city's Oakland neighborhood at which they displayed signs that said "United for our patients" and "UPMC: Do your part to address the mental health crisis!"

Saying they feared staffing problems were undermining the hospital's ability to provide effective care, the workers and their supporters called for more resources to help retain and recruit nurses at the region's largest behavioral health facility.

They generally called on UPMC to give pay raises, increase staffing and improve staff-to-patient ratios, but they did not make any specific requests.

John Hobdy, a nurse at the hospital, said nurses are often responsible for 14 patients at a time on overnight shifts — but as many as 27 patients at once during severe staffing crunches.

Some of those patients, Hobdy said, may be combative. Others are catatonic and need to be cleaned and moved regularly.

"When we're operating with less than a skeleton crew, it's very difficult to provide the care our patients deserve," Hobdy said.

SEIU members said they were working overtime and trying to fill in gaps at a hospital that has had to close dozens of its beds because of staffing shortages.

"That's completely exhausting for nurses and unfair for patients," said Hobdy, who said he was a combat medic in Iraq and a Pittsburgh paramedic.

According to the union, 115 nurses work at the hospital. Over the last three years, the union said, 123 nurses have left.

The hospital has about 200 beds, and up to a third of them are closed because of staffing issues, according to the union.

Nurses leave essential jobs at facilities like Western Psychiatric because the job is difficult, staffing issues create additional challenges and many don't feel the pay is good enough for such work, said Amy Kenny, a nurse at the hospital with more than three decades of experience

Her own son quit a nursing job there for a less-stressful position elsewhere, she said.

UPMC said the hospital has recently increased its inpatient capacity, expanding it by 14% since last month, according to a statement.

UPMC did not respond to questions about its staffing levels or how many beds were unavailable because of personnel limitations.

'Sacred obligation'

State Rep. Dan Frankel, who represents Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood where the hospital is located, said the community relies on Western Psychiatric and other UPMC facilities.

The $28 billion hospital network, he said, enjoys nonprofit tax status — something Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is currently challenging — in exchange for providing benefits for the community.

To earn that status, he said, UPMC must meet its "sacred obligation" to provide services and appropriate resources for its workers.

Frankel said his own wife started her career as a social worker at Western Psych.

But staff at the hospital now, Frankel said, face challenges that could be alleviated by additional investments from UPMC.

"They are coming to work every day knowing they will be faced with untenable challenges," Frankel said, adding they are overworked and under resourced.

Frankel is a member of the Mental Health Caucus and chair of the Pennsylvania House Health Committee.

City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, said the region's most vulnerable populations rely on Western Psychiatric Hospital.

"We all deserve the lifeline Western Psych provides," Strassburger said, adding anyone could find themselves in a position to need their services.

When people are turned away because of staffing problems, she said, it can start a downward spiral for those most in need of help.

"We know UPMC has the resources to support these amazing nurses," Strassburger said. "We're all depending on it."

Increasing stress

This is particularly crucial as mental and behavioral health issues are increasing in both youth and adults, said Dr. Jeffrey Shook, a University of Pittsburgh professor of social work.

That has increased stress on the workers, systems and programs that help people with mental health issues.

Some, Shook said, are calling it a crisis.

Exacerbating the problem, Shook said, is the fact that nurses and other workers are leaving, often because they were struggling to perform their jobs.

Many nurses, Shook said, report they don't make enough to meet their own needs. Some struggle with their own mental health issues, like depression.

Shook called for pay raises and staff-to-patient ratio requirements to help support nurses and remedy understaffing.

"At a time when the city and county are doing all we can to address access to mental health services, UPMC needs to do its share and invest the resources necessary to operate Western Psychiatric Hospital at its full capacity," Gainey said in a statement.

"Having access to mental health services in times of need should be something that every Pittsburgher can count on."