WINDHAM, Conn. (WTNH) – Health professionals are calling on the Connecticut Department of Public Health to investigate Windham Hospital.
The presidents of three local health care and nurses’ unions want the department of public health to investigate patient care at Windham Hospital after two of the three floors have been closed for more than a week. This comes after a nurse’s strike on Sept. 22.
According to the unions, patients are being transferred to other Hartford HealthCare facilities or being held for long periods of time in neighboring emergency departments.
“While these units remain closed, my member nurses are having their shifts canceled,” said Andrea Riley, a registered nurse and president of the Windham Federation of Professional Nurses. “Meanwhile, nurses at our sister hospital in Norwich are being mandated to stay for overtime with unsafe staffing ratios, a dangerous combination for both the patients and for nurses.
Click here to read the full letter sent to DPH.
News 8 has reached out to the Connecticut Department of Public Health for a comment on the letter but has yet to hear back.
The hospital told News 8 that it is aware of the allegations.
“These allegations are simply not true. Beds are available at the hospital, as well as the staff to care for patients,” the statement reads. “As always, protocols are in place to ensure that our patients get the right care, at the right time and at the right place. Safety is a core value for us at Windham Hospital, and it’s our top priority at all times.”