In a move striking nurses hailed as “a huge moral boost,” about a dozen Kaua‘i physicians gathered at the entrance of Wilcox Memorial Hospital yesterday to march for an immediate resolution to the ongoing standoff between the hospital and the
In a move striking nurses hailed as “a huge moral boost,” about a dozen Kaua‘i physicians gathered at the entrance of Wilcox Memorial Hospital yesterday to march for an immediate resolution to the ongoing standoff between the hospital and the Hawai‘i Nurses Association.
The marching physicians emphasized their neutrality, but said reuniting striking nurses and doctors is an essential step toward improving the quality of healthcare on the island.
“We want to serve the people of Kaua‘i, and we believe we can do it best as a family and a team,” said Dr. Roger Netzer, a physician with the Kaua‘i Medical Clinic.
With negotiations at a standstill, Terry Majerik, a striking nurse, said the support of the doctors was “humbling.”
“There were people who were teary-eyed because their colleagues came out to support this,” Majerik said.
Majerik and other nurses said the doctor’s actions were impressive because marching for the nurses could negatively impact their careers.
“We know they’re putting their livelihood on the line to stand out here in support of this, and that makes the effort they’re putting forth more meaningful,” Majerik said.
The physicians, who carried signs that read “Enough Already,” and “Reunite Our Team,” stressed that they were private citizens, marching on their own time, and that they were marching alongside the nurses, not with them.
To make this distinction clear, the physicians marched a slightly different route than the nurses. While the nurses marched from one side of the entrance to the hospital to the other, the doctors walked an additional 15 yards, to a police car parked on the side of the road.
Although the majority of the marching physicians work at Kaua‘i Medical Clinic, a facility not involved with the strike, some Wilcox physicians joined in as well. Nurses were particularly pleased that Dr. Peter Kim, a retired Wilcox doctor who has a building named after him at the hospital, marched.
The strike enters its 54th day today and nurses and hospital officials aren’t even at the negotiating table.
Nurses have requested that Chuck Sted, chief executive and president of Hawaii Pacific Health, the company that owns Wilcox, visit Kaua‘i and step into the negotiations. Sted is currently on vacation.
Kathy Clark, chief executive of Wilcox, said last week that Sted was not involved in negotiations.
Nurses and hospital officials continue to disagree on many key issues, including overtime pay in the operating room and on call pay for floor nurses.
Most significant, however, is the dispute over patient care.
Nurses say the hospital must improve nurse-to-patient ratios. In response, Wilcox officials have proposed eliminating 12 licensed practical nurse positions and replacing them with more highly trained registered nurses.
The hospital has also said that nurses should take competency tests upon returning to work.
DQ Jackson, a negotiator for the nurses, described the hospital’s proposals as “punitive,” and an attempt to “starve the nurses out.”
Despite the efforts of the physicians to bring about a quick settlement, nurses like Majerik believe a resolution to the strike is unlikely to happen soon.
“I thought a lot of things could be turning points,” she said. “I’ve learned not to get my hopes up anymore.”
• Steven Stein, editorial intern, can be reached
at 245-3681 or sstein
@kauaipubco.com.
