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OPINIONS
Barbara Lynn Spurlock: Bateman hospital conditions were deplorable
Having worked as a licensed practical nurse at Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital for almost three months, I feel obligated to toss my retired nurse's cap into the ring of the current controversy.
I worked there after being fired in 2000 as a Marshall University student health nurse. The conditions were deplorable. It was a nightmare. The facility was going to let me go after 90 days so they would not have to pay benefits. I'd be out in the cold, subject to wolves, as I was attending a Service Employees International Union meeting with Cabell Huntington Hospital's service workers.
Previously, I'd worked at a nursing home, and they had the same policy. They turned the heat up and made my life unbearable. That was after getting the ax at a physicians' group practice.
I was 551/2 years old and out of work. No one would hire me full-time with benefits. I'd sinned the unpardonable sin by exposing my hourly wage of $8.50. The lowest-paid person at Cabell Huntington Hospital earned $9.80 in housekeeping.
Six years ago, I left Bateman. I am amazed that the overworked and understaffed people found the courage to speak up publicly to expose the horrendous conditions. They were forced to do it. Mandatory overtime creates stress for both the staff and patients.
Even if you are "Super Nurse," there is no way you can do justice to patients if overoccupied by 10 to 20 beds. It is gross negligence -- a disaster waiting to happen.
When I passed out medications, a known sexual predator almost shoved me back into the med room. He was 6-foot-4 and about 250 pounds. He could have shut the door, then raped and sodomized me and uses scissors to stab me before anyone could come to my aid. I was the only one with keys to that room. Seem like an unlikely scenario? It was all too real.
After that close call, I resigned while my license was without blemish. With that kind of emotional stress, I could've made a medication error. That went against my integrity. I quit while ahead. Since that day, my license has been inactive. By necessity, I'm now a "retired" nurse.
Disenchanted I am, but still alive and unharmed. Since July 2000, I've lived without health insurance. At age 63, there is nowhere in this area that I can earn enough money to pay for health insurance, meet my mortgage, pay utilities and put food on the table.
Think about what an absolute miracle God has wrought in my life. I'm currently buying a lovely home and have no debts other than the mortgage. However, one serious health issue and I would lose everything I've worked for all my life. Most people would be stressing big time, right?
There's a calmness in my life that I've never experienced before. It comes from my relationship with Jesus because as never before, I am living totally by faith in His provision. The Scripture says, "For with God, all things are possible." That's written for believers, and I am a believer.
Barbara Lynn Spurlock is a Huntington resident.
