The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals AFT Local 5017, a union representing more than 6,000 nurses and health professionals in Oregon and Southwest Washington, has issued a “formal declaration” to Kaiser Permanente Northwest President Wendy Watson expressing “no confidence” in Director of Nursing Misty Weaver, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, ST, and Senior Nursing Director/Administrator Elizabeth Sullivan, MHA, BSN, RN, CSSM, CASC, who lead Kaiser’s Regional ASCs in the Pacific Northwest.
The petition, which had 76 signatures as of this morning, alleges that Ms. Weaver and Ms. Sullivan have “allowed ongoing, structural problems in Ambulatory Surgery… We are expressing that we no longer support the current leadership and are demanding a change to address our underlying concerns. After sustained observation and repeated attempts to address serious concerns, it has become clear that their performance has failed to meet the standards required of their roles. Ongoing issues — including ineffective leadership, poor judgment, lack of accountability, failure to act, misconduct, or loss of trust — have materially harmed the functioning, credibility, and morale of the surgical services staff.”
The union’s petition, signed by “Ambulatory Surgical Services Staff,” claims that although its members’ concerns about the ASC leaders have been raised previously “with sufficient opportunity for correction … no meaningful or lasting improvement has occurred. As a result, confidence in their ability to lead effectively and responsibly has been irreparably diminished. We therefore formally state that we do not support Elizabeth or Misty’s continued leadership and urge that immediate and appropriate action be taken in accordance with governing policies, including the removal of Misty and Elizabeth from their roles.”
The union stated that it is submitting its letter “for the record and with the expectation of prompt and serious consideration.”
Read the full letter here.
