nurses

As COVID surges, a chief medical officer prepares his hospitals for the worst

By • Dec 9, 2020
Tom Banse / NW News Network

At Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, nurses with desk jobs are being told to prepare to come back to the front lines, and elective surgeries and procedures are once again being put on hold.

The desperate measures come amidst an ongoing spike in coronavirus cases in the community and as the hospital prepares for a post-Thanksgiving surge of COVID-19 patients.

“Unfortunately, I think within the next week it’s going to be a significant rise in COVID-19,” said Dr. Kevin Caserta, the chief medical officer for Providence SW Washington.

At least 150 nurses at Western State Hospital sign no-confidence petition

By • Nov 2, 2018
Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network

In the wake of three serious patient-on-staff assaults, more than 150 nurses at Washington's Western State Hospital have signed a "no-confidence" letter calling for the replacement of the psychiatric hospital's chief nursing officer Karen Pitman and her deputies. 

"We have lost all trust, faith, and confidence in the current Western State Hospital Nursing Administration to advocate for nursing," the letter read. 

The letter was delivered by email Friday to Dave Holt, Western State CEO and Cheryl Strange, Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services.