5 things to know about the problems at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's in Milwaukee
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee is reeling from staffing shortages that have caused disruptions to patient care, and staff concerns about patient safety.
More than a dozen current and former physicians, nurses and patients at Columbia St. Mary's shared their experiences.
Here are five takeaways from the full Journal Sentinel examination of problems at Columbia St. Mary's:
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Staff shortages worry nurses, doctors
Nurses at the hospital reported being assigned more patients than they considered realistic, or even safe.
"If vitals are being missed, you might miss a fever. Somebody can go into septic shock and die if you miss a fever," said Christian Olson, a travel nurse who recently worked at Columbia St. Mary's in Milwaukee.
The shortage of nurses is exacerbated by a lack of support staff. Nurses interviewed by the Journal Sentinel said just one certified nursing assistant is routinely assigned to floors with 20 to 30 patients. Without those assistants, nurses may be forced to prioritize certain patients or tasks, at the expense of others.
"My orders don't get done. Patients and their families complain to me," a doctor told the Journal Sentinel. "But it is really the nurses who are getting the shaft. They are stressed, crying in the halls."
Inspectors found multiple violations
The hospital was visited by inspectors at least eight times in 2022 to investigate complaints. Two of those visits yielded no violations; the other six yielded 12.
After two inspections, the hospital was cited both times for not having enough staff to properly care for patients.
Nurses were slow to answer call lights. Patients went days without basic hygiene care. One patient who was having chest pain and difficulty breathing could not reach anyone for 10 minutes, even after yelling for help and pulling the emergency cord in the bathroom.
Patients waited hours without ER care
Patients reported waiting in the emergency department as long as eight to 10 hours, and still not being seen.
Some finally went to other hospitals; some were in extreme pain and didn't receive any medication to ease it.
A triage nurse told inspectors that rounds every couple of hours are expected in the waiting room, “but if I’m the only triage nurse, I don’t have time.”
Signs of problems at Columbia St. Mary's grew over months
In August, the Joint Commission, the nonprofit responsible for accrediting most U.S. hospitals, issued a preliminary denial of accreditation to Columbia St. Mary’s. The reasons were not disclosed. After submitting a plan of action, the hospital was granted re-accreditation.
Separately, the Medical College of Wisconsin temporarily pulled its residents from the hospital’s labor and delivery unit last fall because of a lack of supervision of their work.
Most recently, the hospital told staff to postpone non-emergency surgeries for a month, beginning in mid-January.
Ascension said it and other hospitals are experiencing 'historic staffing challenges'
Ascension Wisconsin declined an interview request with its leadership, but responded late Monday to questions submitted by email.
"Hospitals across the U.S. are dealing with historic staffing challenges due to ongoing workforce shortages," the email from Ascension reads. "We are working diligently to mitigate these many challenges through strategies that include staffing bonuses, increased direct hiring, and new retention efforts."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital's problems
