The United Health Professionals New Mexico, which represents University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center workers, hosted a community forum in Rio Rancho on Sept. 17 to discuss the hospital’s quality of care and accountability.
Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, state Rep. Kathleen Cates and County Commissioner Katherine Bruch were among the guest speakers for the UHPNM forum.
A large crowd filled one of the pickleball courts at The HUB in Rio Rancho for the event, which came one day before the union was set to begin bargaining with SRMC after nearly three years of publicly feuding.
“This is an opportunity to discuss with the public the distressing state of patient healing conditions and working conditions at UNM SRMC and talk about what the hospital and its workers can accomplish together at the bargaining table to improve conditions,” said Stephanie Ly, a Rio Rancho resident and deputy senior director of organizing and field services with the American Federation of Teachers, the parent union of UHPNM.
After Ly introduced the panel of speakers to the audience, Morales took the microphone to share his role as an advocate for educators and health care professionals, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met.
“Because our health care professionals go to work, sacrifice, do the things that most people would not want to do, when I hear many of the stories that I’ve heard, when you have constant turnover, when you have shortages that are taking place, when you have threats that are going out to staff members, I have to stand up,” Morales said. “I have to give voice, to make sure that I’m here to be a part of the discussion and to recognize that we cannot have high quality care delivery without high quality people, and we cannot have high quality people doing the work without a high quality system.”
Cates, a longtime Rio Rancho resident who represents District 44, shared her connection to the labor community, including her father working as a union pipefitter. Cates praised the nursing staff at SRMC for their dedication and courage.
“I know how brave you’ve been, and that you come here tonight, and then you show up to work, and then you don’t silence yourself. I wanted to make sure that I said thank you,” Cates said. “This hospital is needed but it is only a pretty building without the people in it. I know that you went into your careers because you want to help people, because you want to help them through that difficult time. You know what their family is going through. Then you are so frustrated and scared and dissatisfied because you don’t have enough help. I hear that. I know that, and I will be there always asking, why aren’t you sitting at the table? I will ask the Regents at UNM, why aren’t you sitting at the table? I will ask the leadership at Sandoval Regional Medical Center, and I will continue to ask, why aren’t you sitting at the table? We deserve quality health care here in Sandoval County.”
Bruch spoke about her love for the community and the need for a hospital in Sandoval County. While Bruch said the hospital is invaluable to Sandoval County, she expressed disappointment with long wait times and inadequate staffing at the hospital.
“We’re a big county with a lot of diversity and with small villages and towns and a big city, and we need this hospital. But I have to say, many of us that did advocate for this facility have been very disappointed,” Bruch said. “We do have personal experiences where family members sat in the emergency room for hours. I think every one of the personnel that any of these folks that I talked to, my sister, was one of those, they had nothing but wonderful things to say about each of their caregivers. They were grateful for the service, but it wasn’t what it should have been. It wasn’t optimal, and I know that has been going on for years. It has been very frustrating.”