Pay is at 50th percentile. Staffing is at the 50th percentile. The overwhelming focus is on the budget and revenue, at the expense of patient safety. While senior leaders state they want "caregivers" to speak up, they don't. Individuals who are high performers and who speak up questioning activities, decisions, or key senior leaders are seen as a threat and are actively and aggressively retaliated against. Should they choose to leave the organization due to the hostile, inappropriate work environment, senior leaders go on the offense, encouraging gossip and damaging, disrespectful commentary about why that leader left. These comments are often not based in fact, the individual who has left has no ability to defend themselves, and the comments are fully intended to limit the future opportunities of the recently departed person at PeaceHealth. All of us understand "no margin no mission." The difficulty arises in how decisions about resource allocation are made and how much margin each facility is expected to produce. Education and travel for front line employees has nearly been eliminated. Catering dollars for employees and physicians have been nearly eliminated. Staffing for patient care continues to be reduced. Meanwhile, at the system office in Vancouver events are often lavishly catered and events with the most senior leaders include fresh cut flowers. The senior leaders seem to have forgotten an important tenant of Catholic health, which is to do the most for those who have the least among us. Senior leaders do not carry on the healing mission of Jesus Christ and do not treat people in a loving and caring way. The political positioning and game playing is the worst among any organization I have worked for.
