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  • McLaren Bay Nurses Kick off ‘Safe Staffing September’ by Demanding Investments in Staffing and Patient Care
  • Press conference announcing ‘Safe Staffing September’ ahead of McLaren Bay RN contract negotiations
  • Thursday, September 7th at 9am at the Uptown Park at 100 S Washington Ave, Bay City, MI 48708

Bay City, MI- McLaren Bay Hospital nurses are kicking off ‘Safe Staffing September’ on Thursday to highlight how RN staffing ratios help keep our community safe and healthy. As part of their new contract campaign, close to 400 nurses are demanding for McLaren Bay Region to make an investment in quality patient care. 

“McLaren Bay has a staffing crisis which is hampering our ability to provide the quality care that our patients deserve. It’s proven that adequate staffing levels can result in reduced mortality, shorter hospital stays, and reduced incidence of adverse patient events such as infection. It’s time for McLaren to step up and support our workers and our community by investing in us and our community,” said Laken Gray, ICU RN and President of the SEIU nurse unit at McLaren Bay. 

Fewer nurses often means that each nurse must care for more patients, which has created an environment of burnout and employee turnover. According to a recent study, about 39% of Michigan nurses surveyed said they intend to leave their jobs in the next year, revealing the depth of a shortage of nurses in a state that’s been struggling for years to hire enough healthcare workers to keep hospital beds open. 

In July and August alone, there have been 48 staffing emergencies reported in the McLaren RN unit. Staffing emergencies occur when staffing is so low that McLaren must pull nurses from other departments on the spot. 

“It’s time for McLaren to prioritize its patients over profits, and that starts with retaining our most experienced nurses who know and care about the hospital and the community where they live. We need to make McLaren Bay Region an attractive place to work by investing in the retention and recruitment of staff,” said Hailey Olsick, critical care unit RN at McLaren Bay. 

Last month, Unite Here Local 24 workers at McLaren Bay rallied for a contract seeking safe staffing levels and fair and competitive wages.