By DENISE L. BALLARD
Tsisgwohi (Birdtown)
After reading Robert Jumper’s commentary: Irons in the fire, I feel the need to comment on the Tribal Council work session regarding Tsali Care Center. I attended the meeting on Aug. 8, and I appreciate Chief Hicks and Tribal Council for making sure this meeting happened.
Mr. Jumper praised Casey Cooper for his presentation on the challenges in staffing at Cherokee Indian Hospital and Tsali Care Center. I have to agree, Casey did a very informative presentation, which is certainly one of his strengths. However, several community members were there to express concerns so tribal officials and the listening public would be aware of the other side of transparency at Tsali Care Center. If you were tuned in, you know we were not allowed to be on the air. Transparency…
I will not mention names of course but I will let the reading public know what concerns and issues were shared. A startling fact shared was one resident has lost 10 pounds in a month as this individual cannot feed themselves, another family member shared to me their loved one has lost 40 pounds due to the same reasons. Fortunately, that individual could afford to lose weight but sadly the other could not. This happened because there were insufficient staff to provide these individuals’ care. Neglect comes to mind when I think about this.
The lack of consistent physical therapy is a concern shared by many. Casey stated PT is a contracted position and it seems many residents are sent to Tsali Care for “rehab” as in therapy after orthopedic and other surgeries, stroke, etc. Also, part of the rehab includes occupational therapy. One person who complained about lack of PT for their loved one, also suffering from dementia, was told to face it and accept their loved one would never walk again. However, the family member was persistent in getting PT to work and thankfully, that person is walking!
New management was praised for saving money. They saved money by letting contracted agency nurses go along with letting several other staff go, resulting in the lack of staffing! Casey did say they are having to contract with agency nurses again. I’m hoping residents will receive the care they need if these nurses don’t walk out like some of the other staff have. There are not more than 7 staff members in the entire building for the night shift and it has consistently been this way for a while. I have pictures of staffing sheets, and this doesn’t factor in the callouts and no-shows! How could 7 staff evacuate 54 or more residents? Stop and think how many of those residents are elderly and depend on a wheelchair to get around, not to mention the ones that have to use a lift to move from their bed into a wheelchair. That really frightens me!
Transportation issues were mentioned. One of the transportation staff is gone now so there is only one staff member to take residents to medical appointments etc. This has resulted in Tribal EMS ambulances having to transport residents, taking an ambulance out of service during this time.
A former staff member went to Casey with concerns over a lack of staff and was let go the next morning. This person was told they did not fit their management profile. This person stated staff are concerned and contacting this person to vent because they won’t voice their concerns for fear of retaliation. They are feeling overwhelmed and unsafe. Staff have been told the residents need to get used to a different level of care! In our Cherokee community our elders are respected and taken care of, so No! We want the best level of care for not only our people but for all the residents.
My mom was at Tsali Care for three different stays in the past and our family was very much involved in meetings, but it is not that way now, at least it hasn’t been for us. In my opinion, better communication with families needs to happen. Families are concerned with residents’ outstanding bills owed to the facility. That conversation has to happen upon initial placements. Should a resident need to be sent to the ER they have been told they cannot return to the facility due to their outstanding bill. This is not acceptable.
No one in attendance was there to attack anyone. It’s a demanding job. The CNAs have a lot on them as do the RNs and they don’t always have time to help each other. I very much appreciate all the hard work all the staff do at Tsali Care, however, there are issues that have to be addressed.
Mr. Jumper mentioned constrictions in information sharing, and we need to make our voices heard. I agree and certainly hope our voices were heard and will continue to be heard.
