Sebastian Daily has been receiving complaints about how nurses are being treated at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach. The allegations include pregnant nurses, and mothers of young children being forced to work COVID, nurses not receiving merit raises, and not having the proper personal protective equipment.
Pregnant Nurses Working COVID
“Pregnant nurses & mothers with young children at home are being forced to choose between working COVID or unemployment,” an anonymous Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital employee told Sebastian Daily.
“Instead of incentivizing nurses who take the extra shifts, the nurses who refuse, for a valid reason, are forced to either accept the shift or face unemployment,” the anonymous worker added.
We contacted Cleveland Clinic for their response to this complaint.
“In order for us to best care for our community during the COVID-19 public health crisis, we need to ensure our caregivers are there to provide the care necessary to our patients. Any requests for changes in work duties are evaluated based on federal guidelines that would preclude a caregiver from performing their responsibilities,” Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital said in a statement.
The Cleveland Clinic, Indian River Hospital employee, was not too happy with the response received about pregnant nurses being forced to work the COVID unit.
“Following federal guidelines and forcing pregnant women to work or be fired is not right,” the source stated.
Year of the Nurse
“We are told it’s the ‘year of the nurse,’ but we can’t get merit raises cause they ‘Cleveland clinic’ can’t afford it,” a source stated.
Cleveland Clinic never responded to whether their nurses received any merit raises.
COVID-19 Pay for Sick Nurses
“If they get sick with COVID, they aren’t even getting paid for it. They are now forced to use their PTO if they want to get paid while they’re sick,” they added.
Cleveland Clinic says that their policy is just the opposite.
“In the event, a caregiver tests positive for COVID-19 and cannot work, Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital continues to pay them at their full salary. Caregivers do not have to use PTO while recovering from COVID-19. Our Office of Caregiver Experience also works closely with those caregivers, coordinating deliveries to their homes of meals, prescriptions, and other items,” Cleveland Clinic told Sebastian Daily.
Personal Protective Equipment
“I’m reusing plastic disposable gowns that are not the same as the gowns we are supposed to use,” a nurse complained.
However, the 335-bed not-for-profit hospital is claiming that they supply their employees with the proper personal protective equipment, education, and instructions on using them.
“Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital’s first priority is the safety of our patients and caregivers. We follow CDC guidelines to ensure caregivers providing direct care to patients have the proper personal protective equipment, as well as education and instruction on their use,” the hospital said.
Programs & Benefits
“The Cleveland Clinic Florida region has developed a number of programs and benefits for caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes a caregiver relief fund for those individuals impacted financially by COVID-19. Cleveland Clinic, Indian River Hospital, has also paid for hotels for those caregivers who may have a loved one susceptible to COVID-19 and are looking for an alternative place to stay,” Cleveland Clinic said in a statement.
