University of Illinois Health nurses allege they have been assaulted by patients for years: pushed — one when she was pregnant — pounced on by a patient's relative, and other risks they may have been exposed to.
“One of the reasons we’re on strike is because the security here is terrible,” Emma Stone, an intensive care nurse at Near West Side Hospital, said Monday in a square with dozens of other union nurses, as colleagues demonstrated across the street from the hospital. “It’s very scary as a nurse to think that I could get shot or stabbed.”
Stone was one of more than 1,000 UI Health nurses who began a strike Monday demanding safety, staffing and better pay, as the Democratic National Convention kicked off just a few blocks from the United Center.
UI Health is one of the busiest hospitals in the city and will likely be one of the main places people will seek medical care if they become sick or injured during the conference. The hospital is now staffed by temporary nurses.
“We're glad the strike happened during the Democratic National Convention,” Stone said. “We hope it brings us more attention… If anything, there are a lot of other hospitals that won't strike. I don't think the strike is a public safety issue for us.”
Last week, a Cook County judge ruled that some critical care nurses, such as those who treat patients in intensive care or labor and delivery units, would be required to work. (Stone was given a day off.) But Sarah Hurd, an organizer with the Illinois Nurses Association, the union that represents nurses, said the majority of nurses at hospitals and clinics could strike for up to a week unless they reach an agreement with University of Illinois Health officials.
When asked for comment, a UI Health spokeswoman referred to a statement the health system issued before the strike and did not immediately respond to the nurses' accusations.
“The University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics, the only public hospital in Illinois, is committed to providing quality medical care to the people of Illinois,” the University of Illinois Health Department said in a recent statement. “In the event of a shutdown, we are prepared to continue to safely care for patients and maintain operations.”
The last time UI Health nurses went on strike was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their four-year contract had just ended. This time, they’re fighting for better protection from violent patients, such as more security in certain hospital units.
Violence against nurses is a national issue. The National Nurses Organization, which represents nurses nationwide, surveyed nearly 1,000 nurses last year. It found that 8 in 10 nurses had experienced at least one type of violence at work. Nearly half reported an increase in violence on their unit.
There’s not enough security from the emergency department to the psychiatric unit, said Leander Londres, a pediatric nurse who has worked at the University of Illinois Hospital for 21 years. Last year, he said, several of his ER colleagues were kicked in the back and had muscle tears, then were out of work for a year.
Simone Ethier is a nurse who helps prepare and care for patients recovering from surgery. She said she left her job in the emergency room after a patient violently pushed her into an office while Ethier was pregnant. It happened several years ago.
“I loved the emergency room, but when I realized my safety and the safety of my then-newborn baby were at risk, it was not a place I wanted to be anymore,” Ethier said.
She said she feels more secure in her current role, but now staffing is an issue. Sometimes there aren’t enough nurses, Ether said. Those who work around the clock have to work through lunch or stay late, Ether added.
Union nurses also want a cap on the number of patients they can be assigned to care for depending on how sick they are.
As an ICU nurse, Stone said she is now treating two patients at a time, and is worried that could escalate.
“I don’t think it’s anything other than money,” Stone said of the hospital’s management. “They don’t realize that your little grandmother is in the ICU and she’s not getting any care. And no one can help her if we’re so busy and in other patient rooms.”
Nurses also want better pay, bringing them on par with nurses at other major hospitals in Chicago.
Despite the frustrations, Londres said he stays for his patients.
“My patients come from all over the United States, and sometimes from all over the world, just to get medical care,” said Londres, who arrived at the strike around 6 a.m. wearing the union’s blue and white colors. “I wouldn’t go to work anywhere else, especially with the benefits the union fought for.”
UI Health is a large system with a hospital and dozens of outpatient clinics, and treats mostly black and Latino patients. State public health data shows that more than 40 percent of patients are low-income.
Kristen Schorsch covers public health and Cook County government for WBEZ.
