The Trib covered a “Speak Out for Mental Health” that my fellow nurses and I held with government leaders and advocates at UPMC Western Psych (“UPMC Western Psych nurses warn staffing shortages degrading patient care,” Sept. 20, TribLive). We were out there because Western Psych is unable to handle the mental health and addiction emergency plaguing our region.
On my floor, one wing is completely closed and the other two wings have closed beds. During the night shift, one nurse can be left responsible for 27 patients with acute mental illness. Severe understaffing, chaotic working conditions and closed beds are endemic throughout our hospital.
I’m a combat veteran who served as a medic in the Iraq War. I became a psych nurse because I wanted to help vets heal from trauma and lift up people who too often fall through the cracks. But when we’re operating with less than a skeleton crew, it’s very difficult to provide the care our patients deserve.
It is a moral imperative for UPMC to invest in retaining and recruiting nurses so Western Psych is fully operational. My co-workers and I, along with elected officials and advocates, are determined to continue bringing attention to the mental health crisis and hold UPMC accountable to our patients and our community.
John Hobdy
Highland Park