GREENFIELD — Baystate Health and the Massachusetts Nurses Association’s bargaining unit for Baystate Franklin Medical Center will again meet at the negotiating table this fall to hammer out a contract.
On Thursday, a community forum organized by the union and a residents’ group gave a preview of what the nurses want this time.
The forum, held at Greenfield High School, saw members of the Community Health Care Initiative and Baystate nurses discuss the challenges facing enhancing the hospital’s care and keeping it local. They laid out five goals for the negotiations.
Increasing staffing, reducing emergency room wait times, improving patient safety and reducing return visits will be the top priorities, said Donna Stern, the unit’s senior chairwoman.
Community Health Care Initiative member Janina Thayer, a school nurse, said community members have submitted a five-point wish list for ways local care could be improved, including expanding transportation options to and from the hospital and to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, the system’s flagship hospital.
“Sometimes people can’t maneuver when they’re going down to see a specialist, and they need extra help,” she said. “Family needs to be able to accompany patients to help them understand what was said in the room, or keep appointments.”
The other four points dealt with expanding the hospital’s volunteer program to help patients get on and off public transportation, conducting more community forums in all parts of the county, engaging in more public outreach when hospital services or programs change, and publicly posting the staffing levels for each shift so patients know how many nurses are assigned to each patient.
“Communication is key to any relationship,” Thayer said.
Last time, the hospital and the union negotiated a contract, it led to a one-day strike, the panel noted.
Baystate Health spokesman Ben Craft said in a statement Thursday: “The Franklin County community has contributed $5 million to support our Campaign for Keeping Care Local and our investment in new operating rooms at BFMC. This is not only a wonderful act of generosity but also a testament to the community’s steadfast support for our hospital. We look forward to a productive and respectful contract negotiation with the MNA in the coming months, and we share in its enthusiasm for a vibrantfuture for BFMC and our community health network.”