Seattle, WA

Seattle Children’s Hospital nurses hold vigil to raise awareness on ‘combat zone’ workplace

Published

12 months ago

December 12, 2023

Seattle Children’s Hospital nurses hold vigil to raise awareness on ‘combat zone’ workplace

SEATTLE — Nurses with Seattle Children’s Hospital are holding a candlelight vigil to raise awareness of alleged attacks on nurses in what they describe as a “combat zone” in the hospital.

The candlelight vigil took place across from Laurelhurst Playfield, at 45th Street and 45th Avenue in Seattle, Tuesday at 6 p.m. It’s the day before nurses are scheduled to meet with the hospital’s management, the nurses’ union told KIRO 7.

Two nurses and several lawmakers are expected to speak at the event.

A spokesperson for the Washington State Nurses Association said that two nurses and the union are scheduled to meet with management on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the list of changes they would like to see to keep nurses and patients safe.

The expected meeting comes after a number of alleged attacks that have happened within the hospital’s Psychiatry and Medicine Behavioral Health Unit.

ALLEGED ATTACKS FROM PATIENTS:

Seattle Children’s Hospital nurses told KIRO 7 that they have allegedly suffered injuries from patients due to a lack of support and resources from management.

Leaders with the Washington State Nurses Association shared a press release about the alleged incidents.

In a span of two weeks, Seattle police told KIRO 7 that they were called to the hospital’s unit twice.

On November 7, police said a 14-year-old boy was arrested for assaulting a medical staff member, destroying property, and armed himself with a metal pole in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit of the hospital. One staff member suffered minor injuries.

Staff told police the teenage boy had convinced another patient to steal an access badge from hospital staff, which allowed them to access prohibited areas of the building, police said. One staff member was put in a headlock, police added.

Another incident happened on November 17 where three to four children in the behavioral unit reportedly tore off ceiling tiles and threw them at staff members, said Seattle Police.

Nurses at Seattle Children’s Hospital tell me that number of them have been injured from patients – some were put in a chokehold – and the hospital is not supporting them. The unit that is seeing a mental health crisis, and what nurses are asking for on @KIRO7Seattle at 4:30 pm. pic.twitter.com/t9ESpKIbpx
— Louie Tran (@louie_tran) November 29, 2023

“I’m exhausted from constantly reacting to dangerous behaviors and trying to prevent serious harm,” a nurse on the unit, Henry Jones, said in the press release. “In our current state, I feel like I’m functioning more like a bouncer or a prison guard.”

CALL FOR CHANGES:

Leaders with the Washington State Nurses Association said nurses had asked management to talk before Thanksgiving, however, they denied the request. Nurses and the union are now scheduled to meet with management Wednesday afternoon, a leader of the association told KIRO 7.

Nurses are asking for the following changes from management to address the short-term issue, according to the WSNA press release:

Three safety officers to work during the dayside shifts.
Three additional nurses work the overnight shifts.
Three additional nurses
A maximum nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:8.
Double pay during the crisis to encourage nurses to remain on staff.

According to the press release, 44 nurses signed a letter to Seattle Children’s management on November 17, urging for help on the unit.

“Staff work in a persistent state of fear as they come into each shift expecting violence and debilitating abuse,” the nurses wrote in the press release. “Patient care has been compromised to an extent that our milieu is no longer therapeutic, but rather dangerous and detrimental for all who enter the PBMU, staff and patients alike. The unfortunate reality of the unit is an exponentially increasing risk of a sentinel event if the PBMU is left to continue operating under its current conditions.”

SEATTLE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL NURSES:

KIRO 7 spoke with a couple of nurses within the unit on Tuesday to better understand the situation and to get their thoughts on the upcoming meeting with management.

“We need this meeting, and we need it to go well. And we need change to happen right now,” said Anna Singer, a nurse for Seattle Children’s Hospital Psychiatry and Medicine Behavioral Health Unit.

Charlie Elkins, another nurse within the unit, said, “True healing and change happens when we meet face to face and actually call the truth and call what we see.”

KIRO 7 asked both nurses about their experience within the unit.

“Escalation and the sheer volume of violence that we’re seeing and the level of violence that we’re seeing is what has changed.” Singer said, “Now people kind of expect some degree of harm to happen during their shift.”

“When someone’s trying to hit you and you have no one coming to help you, that’s where trauma comes from. And that’s what’s happening,” Singer described some of her experiences while working for the unit.

Singer showed KIRO 7 some of the scars on her arms, caused by scratches and bites from patients, she said.

Both nurses stressed that the children within the unit are not to blame, adding many of the children need additional support to help them manage their emotions caused by trauma. The root issue is due to systemic challenges and a lack of support from the hospital, they said.

“I see the desperation in some of these kids,” said Elkins. “When someone’s feeling desperate and unsafe, and trying to protect themselves, they will do anything.”

“I want to be very explicit with that. Our kids are close to death. One way or another,” Singer said.

Singer said there is a misconceived perception of the unit.

“Sometimes psych is seen as non-medical, or non-urgent, or kids with psychological issues aren’t sick — which isn’t true. No one would be in our unit if they weren’t an imminent threat to themselves or others,” she said.

The unit needs additional experienced nurses who understand how to navigate and help guide the children within the unit, both nurses told us.

“It’s really hard to build coping skills and distressed tolerance when you don’t have a home to go to. When you don’t have a bed,” said Singer.

Both nurses said they are hopeful that a positive resolution will come out of Wednesday’s expected meeting with management.

“We need things right now to keep people for as long as we can to get through this crisis,” said Singer.

“There’s so much change that still needs to happen,” said Elkins. “This is a step on a long road of steps.”

SEATTLE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL:

KIRO 7 reached out to Seattle Children’s Hospital and requested an in-person interview.

The hospital declined our request, but shared the following statement:

The safety, security and well-being of Seattle Children’s patients and workforce is our top priority. We continue to work hard on four key objectives to support our workforce and community: ensure staff and patient safety, provide excellent mental health care, maximize use of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU) space and advocate for resources outside of the hospital.

Seattle Children’s has also added supplemental staffing resources and increased both leader and security presence in areas of greatest need. This also includes support to hire travel pediatric mental health services staff and nursing staff. Addressing the youth mental health crisis continues to be the top priority of our state and federal advocacy efforts.

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Insider: What to watch from Seattle Seahawks' Week 12 opponent

Published

8 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Insider: What to watch from Seattle Seahawks' Week 12 opponent

After a big win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks are set for another important divisional clash.

Macdonald previews Seattle Seahawks’ pivotal NFC West clash vs Cardinals

The Seahawks host the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals (6-4) with a chance to move into at least a tie for first place in the division. Seattle (5-5) is currently in a three-way tie for second place with both the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams.

If Seattle can pull off the win and both San Francisco and Los Angeles lose, it would take over sole possession of first place via the head-to-head tiebreaker over Arizona. The Seahawks and Cardinals meet again on Dec. 8.

The Cardinals, winners of four straight, are one of the surprise teams in the league this season. After finishing in a four-way tie for the second-worst record in the league last season, they’ve already surpassed their four wins from a season ago and have their latest division lead since being tied for first with the Rams in Week 15 of the 2021 season.

With Arizona on the docket for the first time this season, AZCardinals.com senior writer Darren Urban shared his insight on the Cardinals with Stacy Rost and Seahawks Radio Network analysts Michael Bumpus and Dave Wyman during The Huddle on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

Kyler Murray playing at a high level

Arizona has been much improved on offense with dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray fully healthy, but that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

With Murray out for the first nine weeks of last season, the Cardinals stumbled to a 1-8 start while averaging just 16.8 points per game. After his return, they went 3-5 while averaging 22.8 points.

Murray is playing at a high level this year in his first full season since tearing his ACL in December of the 2022 season. He’s completing passes at a career-high 69.2% clip with 2,058 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding another 371 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

“I don’t know if I’ll necessarily call it a career year yet. (We) obviously still got half the season to go, but he’s definitely in a different space than he’s been in before,” Urban said. “He might have had more gaudy numbers once upon a time, but he fits so well in the offense that they’re running here with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, and the fact that it’s kind of coming together at a perfect time, really kind of escalates how he looks and how he’s performing. Don’t get me wrong, Kyler is playing at a very high level right now. They just don’t always need him to be Superman like he once was.”

Arizona is tied for 11th in scoring this season at 23.8 points per game with Murray leading the charge. Part of what’s made him so effective this year is his improved ability to take care of the football. He’s on pace for a career-low 1.1% interception rate.

“He’s done a really good job of taking care of the football,” Urban said. “When you add that in with the least amount of penalties the Cardinals have got – the Cardinals have the fewest amount of penalties of anybody in the NFL – that goes a long way in helping you try and win games. So Kyler Murray is in a good place right now. He’s 100% back from the knee injury from a couple of years ago. He looks like it when he moves around. He’s throwing the ball exceptionally well. And this offense is coming around.”

The ‘heart and soul’ of Arizona’s offense

While Murray’s play has been key, Urban described veteran running back James Conner as the “heart and soul of the offense.”

“Since (head coach) Jonathan Gannon came in, they prefer to be a run-first offense,” Urban said. “(It) doesn’t mean they won’t throw, to the contrary, but in a perfect world James Conner is getting the ball a lot and they are grinding out yards on the ground.”

The 29-year-old Conner has been a versatile weapon for Arizona this season and is 11th in the NFL with 944 yards from scrimmage. He’s rushed for 697 yards and five touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry and added another 247 yards on 24 receptions. The Pittsburgh product has eclipsed 100 yards rushing in four games and produced at least 100 yards from scrimmage in six.

“The way he plays football feels very old-school. It feels very 1977 kind of feel to it as a running back, and you don’t get that a lot anymore. When he does well, it does seem to energize this entire team,” Urban said. “Not a lot of people know James Conner – most (do) from his years in Pittsburgh – but there’s no question that he has played his best football since he came to Arizona in these last couple of years. Even as he’s getting older as a running back, he seems to be getting better.”

The combination of Conner and Murray in the running game means this Cardinals squad is better suited for the chilly conditions it’s set to face Sunday in Seattle.

“If they’re playing the game that they want to play, they’re going to be able to control the ball on offense a little bit and they’re going to be able to run it,” Urban said. “One of the things that has always kind of … followed this team where it plays, if you go back to the heydays of the Kurt Warner Cardinals, is they can win if they’re not in a dome. … This team can do that.”

Improving defense

After being among the league’s worst defenses last season, the Cardinals have resembled more of a league-average unit this season under second-year defensive coordinator Nick Rallis.

The biggest strides the unit has made have come against the run. Arizona was last in the NFL in rushing defense last season and is up to 19th in 2024. The defense also has been better at forcing turnovers, jumping from tied for 27th to tied for 16th with 11 so far this season.

The Cardinals are coming off two of their best defensive performances, allowing a combined 15 points and no touchdowns in wins over Chicago Bears and New York Jets.

“The last two games where they haven’t given up a touchdown, you’re playing at home, you’re playing against the Jets and the Bears – two teams that I’m pretty sure are not going to be going anywhere past the end of the regular season, so you have to factor in some context,” Urban said. “But this team was always defensively about doing a solid job and hopefully having the offense pick them up in spots.

“What has happened over this four-game winning streak in a lot of ways is the defense has done more than just hold its own, and that’s an important factor when you talk about a group that doesn’t have a lot of big names.”

With that being said, the unit is still susceptible to give up yards. It’s just been good at limiting points in the red zone, ranking ninth in the league with an opponents’ red-zone touchdown percentage of just 48.6%.

“(The defense is) an area of the roster that I’m sure (general manger) Monti Ossenfort wants to continue to upgrade, but they are playing at a pretty high level and it’s kind of the epitome of bend but not break,” Urban said. “I mean, they’re going to give up some yards, but they’ve been keeping teams out of the end zone, and that’s gone a long way for them to win games.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to The Huddle from noon-2 p.m. on Thursday’s before Sunday Seahawks games for two full hours of in-depth coverage on the team.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Rost: What Seattle Seahawks face vs Cards with NFC West lead in play
• Salk: Seahawks’ Macdonald just may be the ‘Shanahan tree killer’
• Why three rising Seahawks players are standing out to Daniel Jeremiah
• Bump goes inside JSN’s breakout stretch for Seattle Seahawks
• Seattle Seahawks make four roster moves as Week 12 preparation begins

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Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Prediction: Odds, Best Bets, Player News, Injuries, and Stats

Published

16 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Prediction: Odds, Best Bets, Player News, Injuries, and Stats

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Preview

The Arizona Cardinals are 6-4, and Jonathan Gannon should be the favorite for coach of the year. After a tough start to the season, the Cardinals have ripped off five straight wins. Their win over the Chargers is the most impressive of them all.

The Cardinals have been a good mix of solid passing performances and a well-balanced rushing attack, led by quarterback Kyler Murray.

They head to Seattle this week to take on Geno Smith and the 5-5 Seahawks.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Seahawks, and they are on a bit of a bad run, losing three of their last five games.

Luckily, with the return of DK Metcalf, they should be a bit stronger on the offensive side of the ball.

The Seahawks have missed Metcalf’s production and ability to stretch the field and take the top off the defense.

The Cardinals are the only team without a conference loss, so they should enter this game as betting favorites and with a great deal of confidence.

Listen to the Bet the Edge podcast as hosts Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick provide listeners with sharp actionable insight, market analysis and statistical data to help bettors gain more information before placing their wagers. So, whether you’re targeting spreads and totals, looking for value in futures markets or circling player props, give their podcast a listen to give you that extra edge.

How to Watch Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Live on Sunday:

Date: Sunday, November 24, 2024
Time: 4:25 PM ET
Site: Lumen Field
City: Seattle, WA
TV/Streaming: FOX

Latest Game Odds for Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Week 12

The latest odds as of Friday morning, courtesy of DraftKings:

Moneyline: Arizona Cardinals (-110), Seattle Seahawks (-110)
Spread: Cardinals -1
Total: 44.5

The Seahawks enter this game as a 1.5-point favorite. Given the success of the Cardinals, the line has since moved in favor of Arizona, making them a 1-point favorite.

NBC Sports Bet Best Bets

NBC Sports analyst Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is eyeing Seattle +1

Thomas: “This game is blah… If there were a skip button, it would be this one for me. Not that it won’t be a compelling game; I am just struggling to find a reason bet to take. Gun to my head, I would take Seahawks +1 at -105. With Metcalf returning, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has his full arsenal of talented weapons at his disposal.”

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Team Stats, Betting Trends

The Cardinals are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog
The Seahawks have won five straight games against the Cardinals
The Seahawks have won five straight games against the Cardinals
The Cardinals are 2-0 against the NFC West this season
The Cardinals have won 5 of their last 6 games

Quarterback Matchup for Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

Cardinals: Kyler Murray returned to action in Week 10, showing flashes of his dynamic playmaking ability that he had prior to his injury. Murray has thrown for 2,058 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.
Seahawks: Geno Smith has had a turnover problem. He’s thrown for 2,781 yards and 11 touchdowns, so some may say he’s been good. However, it’s hard to ignore the 11 interceptions he has thrown.

Player News & Injuries

Cardinals:
- S Jalen Thompson (ankle) is OUT
- LB Xavier Thomas (back) is questionable
- DE Darius Robinson (calf) is questionable
- OT Jonah Williams (knee) is questionable
- K Matt Prater is on the IR
Seahawks:
- TE Noah Fant (groin) is questionable
- TE Brady Russell (foot) is OUT
- WR Laviska Shenault Jr (back) is questionable
- OT George Fant (knee) is on the IR

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest and tools for the NFL, including game predictions, player props, futures, and trends!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

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Seattle, WA

Fairmont Olympic Hotel Is Giving Back With Seattle Festival Of Trees

Published

24 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Fairmont Olympic Hotel Is Giving Back With Seattle Festival Of Trees

Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle

Hannah Corbin

Fairmont Olympic Hotel, one of Seattle’s most renowned luxury hotels, is full of festive spirit thanks to a partnership with the Seattle Festival of Trees Guild and Seattle’s Children Hospital.

Displaying over 20 uniquely decorated Christmas trees, each one tells the story of a patient from Seattle Children’s Hospital. Guests and visitors can marvel at the beautiful designs, which range from classic to whimsical, with the trees on display throughout the lobby and mezzanine levels of the hotel.

The trees are available for purchase, starting from $4,200, and vary in size and width—most trees are between 7-foot and 8-foot in height. On display now until Dec. 2, proceeds from every sale will benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital Uncompensated Care and Autism Center.

“We are deeply honored to have shared a cherished partnership with the Seattle Festival of Trees Guild and Seattle Children’s Hospital for decades. At the heart of Fairmont is our commitment to turning moments into special memories, and this beloved holiday tradition transforms our hotel into a festive haven,” said Sunny Joseph, General Manager of Fairmont Olympic Hotel. “It warmly welcomes longtime Fairmont guests, members of the local community, visitors from near and far, and our colleagues, who eagerly anticipate this event each year.”

Discovering Narnia tree.

Hannah Corbin

The Seattle Festival of Trees program has been a key part of Washington’s festive season for 47 years, working with around a dozen designers to create eye-catching themed Christmas trees to celebrate the magic of Christmas in style.

“Many of us have family members who’ve been treated or cared for at Seattle Children’s so this is definitely a labor of love,” explained Daphne Darst, Chair, Designer and Member of Seattle Festival of Trees Guild. “Hospital patients are paired with each tree and we designers are always interested in reading about the child’s health struggles and inspired to do whatever we can to impact and support the hospital’s work.”

To officially kick off the 2024 Seattle Festival of Trees season, the hotel is hosting a gala on Nov. 23, an evening that includes wine, passed hor d’ oeuvres, silent and live auctions, a raffle, gourmet dinner and more.

Trees are on display until Dec. 2.

Hannah Corbin

In addition to the Festival of Trees, the hotel hosts an annual Teddy Bear Suite starting Thanksgiving day. The suite, which has been a part of Fairmont Olympic tradition for almost 25 years, is free to enter and features 100 teddy bears and plenty of cozy features to enchant kids and adults alike.

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