Healthcare professionals at Detroit Medical Center (DMC) are raising their voices over what they see as the hospital’s prioritization of profits over patient care. This concern is at the heart of the resident physicians union’s picketing outside Detroit Receiving Hospital, as they demand the initiation of contract negotiations which administrators have reportedly been avoiding.
The union, certified by the National Labor Relations Board, was established to address the issues perceived by its members, including declining morale and unsafe conditions. These conditions, they argue, are a result of chronic understaffing, which forces doctors like Dr. James Miller, who specializes in internal medicine and pediatrics, to perform additional duties beyond their typical roles.
Dr. Miller highlights an environment where physicians are compelled to step in for various roles such as case managers or IV technicians, due to a shortage of staff. “People are really chronically exhausted from working outside of our usual scope in order to get care for our patients,” Miller explained. “Every single day we’re understaffed and we have realized that’s just the plan. The plan by our hospital managers is to have everything running with our engines in the red until something breaks.”
This understaffing is believed to have contributed to critical incidents, including alleged sexual assaults and an attempted shooting involving hospital staff and patients last year.
Dr. Miller and his colleagues emphasize their dedication to the community and their patients, expressing their desire to provide the highest standard of care. “We just want people to know we’re fighting for the people of Detroit. Because we love this hospital and we love them and we want them to get the best care they can,” he stated.
Attempts to reach DMC and its parent company, Tenet Healthcare, headquartered in Texas, for comments on the ongoing situation were unsuccessful as they did not respond to multiple inquiries.
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