Registered nurses with National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United said they were “deeply disappointed” by the DC Superior Court’s decision to deny an emergency temporary restraining order prohibiting Ascension from closing Providence Hospital. According to court documents, Dr. LaQuanda Nesbitt, the director of the District of Columbia Department of Health (DOH), said DOH renewed Providence Hospital’s license on Dec. 7 with the understanding that Ascension would “operate a fully-functioning hospital.” However, on Dec. 8, DOH received a copy of a press release from Ascension indicating it would only continue to operate an emergency department. Nesbitt notes that the district does not issue licenses for freestanding emergency departments and that, furthermore, the reduction in staff and acute-care services by Ascension has made it so EMS providers are not bringing patients to Providence, even when it is the closest hospital. “These court documents show clearly this has been a game of smoke and mirrors by Ascension, they are laying off doctors, nurses, caregivers, and closing beds. They are no longer operating what anyone would call a hospital and they are not serving the needs of our community,” said NNU's Curry. “We will continue to fight to see the restoration of services including a fully-functioning emergency room, staffing for an appropriate number of acute-care beds to serve the community, and the necessary support services to care for the hospital’s patients.”
photo by Chris Garlock/Union City
photo by Chris Garlock/Union City