Everyone of us has either been a patient, or we have had loved ones, at Maine Medical Center. Whether we were celebrating the arrival of new family members, in for routine checkups, dealing with chronic illnesses, healing from an illness or injury, or saying goodbye to the ones we love, the entire Maine Med family has treated us with respect and professionalism. But nurses have a special place in our hearts.
Nurses give their all. They are the constant at Maine Med. They are the backbone. Nurses stand up for us and our loved ones, they answer our questions, they heal our kids, they explain procedures or medicines we struggle to understand, and they become part of our families when our fathers and mothers, our aunts and uncles, our brothers and sisters, our friends and co-workers, and, god help us, our children and grandchildren draw their last breaths.
They are overworked. They are underpaid. Too much is demanded of them. They put patients first, but too often they are not given the respect they deserve. And all of this was true even before COVID-19.
We know our nurses. We love our nurses. Nurses advocate for us. The stronger our nurses feel, the better our health care will be. They should be in the room where decisions regarding patient care and their working conditions are made.
We support our nurses’ decision to form a union.