Testimony of AFSCME Council 31
To the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board
regarding the merger of
Resurrection Health Care and Provena Health
According to the statute, the purpose of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act is "to establish an orderly and comprehensive health care delivery system that will guarantee the availability of quality health care to the general public."
AFSCME Council 31 supports the merger of Resurrection Health Care and Provena Health in the hope that it will result in improved availability of quality health care.
As nurses know from experience and as multiple studies have confirmed, two critical factors impact availability of quality healthcare--adequate nurse staffing levels at the bedside, and policies that contribute to the retention of experienced caregivers.
For this reason, we urge the Health Facilities and Services Review Board to consider the current nurse staffing and employee benefit plans at the two systems and require the applicants to adopt the policies and practices that will help ensure the provision of the highest quality healthcare to the new system's patients.
In any hospital merger the parties are faced with integrating staffing and personnel policies that may differ significantly. Too often mergers are focused on a narrow view of cost reduction lead to cuts in staffing levels and employee benefits that reduce them to the level of the lowest common denominator.
The nurses at Resurrection Health Care who are working with AFSCME to form a union are hopeful that this merger will not only be an opportunity for increased efficiency, but also an opportunity to raise the standards for patient care rather than lower them.
Currently Resurrection hospitals and Provena hospitals have significant differences in nurse staffing levels and employee benefits.
Average RN staffing levels per patient day at Resurrection hospitals are significantly below averages at Provena hospitals in each category reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
In Critical Care units average RN staffing levels at Resurrection hospitals were 4% below the average level at Provena hospitals according to data reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health. In Medical Surgical units the Resurrection staffing level was 13% below that of Provena hospitals. An in Mother/Baby units the Resurrection average was almost 30% lower than RN staffing at Provena hospitals.
On the other hand, Provena's retirement plan compares poorly to that of Resurrection. Provena froze its defined benefit pension in 2003, while Resurrection's pension is still in place, although significantly underfunded. Resurrection employees are concerned that the merger may lead to "standardizing" benefits in favor of the more restrictive Provena plan, a move that would not only hurt employees, but also impact the hospitals' ability to attract and retain seasoned nurses with the knowledge and experience needed to deliver the highest quality care.
In conclusion, while we recognize that the issues we are raising are not generally among those considered by the Board, AFSCME is urging the members of this board to take seriously the charge to protect and promote quality care. It should consider the significant challenges facing those serving at the bedside and direct Resurrection Health Care and Provena Health to ensure that the merger of the two systems results in higher quality patient care by improving staffing and employee relations practices.