PORTLAND, Maine — Caregivers who work for MaineHealth Care at Home (MHCAH) are calling for the removal of management executives.
This week, the majority of employees at the agency, more than 60 of them, signed a petition of no confidence in their leaders.
Nurses and clinicians expressed their frustrations during a rally in Portland on Friday outside the MHCAH office off Washington Avenue. The caregivers are represented by the Maine State Nurses Association, a branch of National Nurses United.
Earlier this month, six pediatric care employees were investigated by agency executives. The employees said the allegations were made over claims of "inadequate care" of a patient.
Two tenured nurses were terminated and four clinicians were suspended as part of the investigation.
In a statement, MaineHeath said the no-confidence petition "comes amid an ongoing disciplinary proceeding individuals it represents." More of the statement reads as follows:
"Those issues are being reviewed in accordance with the union’s collective bargaining agreement and under the requirements of the State Board of Licensing for nurses. MaineHealth Care at Home places the health and safety of our patients at the center of all we do, and we encourage open dialogue with our care team members as we pursue our vision of working together so that our communities are the healthiest in America."
Marybeth Gagne has been a pediatric nurse at MHCAH for 32 years and was one of the nurses terminated from her position.
She said she was called into a meeting and was informed of the investigation.
"Hearing that was very demoralizing," Gagne said.
Gagne added the focus of the investigation was on patient care and documentation concerns like filling out patient charts and checking vital signs.
"It's never been something that any of us have done before, we don’t have a policy to do that," Gagne said.
MaineHealth was unable to comment on the details of the investigation as it is a personnel matter.
Recently, Gagne said she went out into the field with a supervisor who found no issues with her care. She also claimed every year she's had a review, no issues like this were brought up.
Morgan Starkwater said she was one of the clinicians placed on suspension. She has been a pediatric occupational therapist for MHCAH for two years. Starkwater added she is back to meeting patients in the field.
"It was really heartbreaking. I had a very hard time after I got the news," Starkwater said Friday. "[This was] a big allegation, it puts your license on the line, it puts your careers on the line."
Both Starkwater and Gagne said current leadership at MHCAH has created a toxic work environment and added the management needs to be replaced.
Around 60 people turned out for the rally Friday and echoed the calls for management removal. Gagne said in all her years working at the MHCAH, there have never been issues this big.
She and other employees claim leadership does not have pediatric experience and does not support them.
The petition of no-confidence also calls to reinstate the nurses who were terminated and compensate those who were suspended for any losses they may have suffered.