Back in Aug. 2012, a nurse discovered maggots on a resident. Not ONE maggot, she confessed, but HUNDREDS of them. The Director of Nursing Wendy Riebe tried to keep it hush-hush. She, the administrator and the nurses lied about how many maggots were found.
After having been the subject of Wendy's bullying and tired of the way she had abused my co-workers for nearly two years, I called the local newspaper and the news station. They descended on the nursing home like vultures! Then I wrote the following letter to the CEO of the hospital....
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
Sanford, Maine 04073
Aug. 10, 2012
Dear Mrs. (CEO),
I am writing out of concern for my co-workers at the XXXX XXX, the recent media publicity and our reputation.
Our concerns revolve mostly around Director of Nursing Wendy Riebe and (to a lesser degree) Administrator XXXXXXXXXXX. The maggots discovered on the resident was certainly alarming, but we wonder why Mrs. Riebe and Mrs. (Administrator) LIED to us about the finding.
In the immediate aftermath of the discovery, the entire situation was a HUGE secret. At first there was barely-masked hysteria. We were told the resident “may” have MRSA. Most of us have worked in nursing long enough to know that a possible case of MRSA would not cause such frenzy.
In the three days following, there was much whispering and knowing, furtive glances. At 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 8, we were called to a mandatory meeting at which time we were told that only ONE “larva” was found. Later (that day!) on the news we learned that it wasn't a single larva, but instead larvae (plural). Personally, I resent being called into a mandatory meeting only to be lied to. As a member of the staff, I expect to be treated as a professional who can handle a “crisis” situation, no matter the nature.
The next day, we were having to duck the press and media, still unsure of what the real story was. Mrs. Riebe and Mrs. (Administrator) then had the audacity to ask staff to write a paragraph about working at the XXXX XXXX. They want us to write about working at the XXXX XXXX after that debacle? For what purpose? To prove to you that all is well at the XXXX XXXX? What would they have us write about? The lies? The constant bullying by Mrs. Riebe? The incessant belittling by Mrs. Riebe? The daily barrage of negativity? The ridiculous number of tasks added to our work load which prevents us from completing proper patient care? The way the rules change daily?
They wanted a paragraph about working at the XXXX XXXX– well, here it is!... and pardon me if it’s longer than a single paragraph… kind of like how ONE maggot was actually MANY.
Nurses are inundated with paperwork, check lists and mundane assignments which muddle priorities (such as skin checks). Meanwhile, the CNAs are overloaded with wing assignments as they balance care with passing snacks and picking up water mugs, wiping bedside tables, etc. (Incidentally, the water mugs, when full of ice and water, are MUCH too heavy for the long-term residents to pick up!). If they are expected to give “quality care,” they must be given time to do it.
(Page 2 of 4)
Did you know that ONE CNA daily is assigned to bathe/shower up to 12 residents per day? That is outrageous! In the summer heat, the temperature becomes unbearable in the tub and shower rooms which have no ventilation. Goodall Hospital could be looking at a lawsuit or a workers compensation case, at the very least, should a CNA pass out in the shower room. Additionally, the shower chairs are extremely difficult to maneuver as they veer this way and that of their own accord. The CNAs have complained that steering the shower/bath chairs actually wrenches their back and shoulders.
While Mrs. Riebe sits in her air-conditioned office with a refrigerator full of diet Cokes and bangs on the wall to get the attention of XXXX XXXX when she needs something ELSE, the CNAs are forbidden from sitting… EVER. They are not allowed to sit, period. They are even expected to stand when doing their documentation. The CNAs work hard all day— they lift, push and roll “dead” weight. Undoubtedly, they have the most physically demanding job in the facility and THEY are not allowed to sit to do charting?!
Aside from the daily rigors, staff members are fed up with Mrs. Riebe’s attitude and shenanigans. Many staff members have been to human resources to complain, only to have complaints fall on deaf ears or to have the source of the complaints made known to Mrs. Riebe. It has gotten to the point that we don’t even “bother” to voice our concerns anymore because nobody listens or acts on anything.
What is amazing to us is how WE see Mrs. Riebe act and talk to staff, but when she is around higher ranking management, she turns on a false yet charismatic charm. If only you knew… She has been seen stomping her feet and slamming her hands/fists on the nearest surface. She has raised her voice. She has gestured wildly in the hallway. She is unprofessional.
In one instance I am aware of, Mrs. Riebe called a staff member to her office to admonish her about something. In the middle of the scolding, the staff member heard a voice saying, “Wendy, are you there? Wendy? OK, well, call me when you can…” It seems Mrs. Riebe had her CELL PHONE on speaker while chastising an employee! The employee was encouraged to go to HR but she confided that 1) she was afraid 2) nothing would be done about it anyway. What a sad commentary on the relationship between staff and management.
Her belittling, constant disparaging remarks and barking commands has caused the XXXX XXXX to become a hostile work environment. Many staff, since Mrs. Riebe’s hire, now takes medication to calm their nerves or quell the itching of hives caused by nerves. One staff member has actually been diagnosed with PTSD!
Staff often talks about having a “pit” in their stomach when Mrs. Riebe walks in the door, or having heart palpitations, a sense of dread and/or an anxiety attack. The greatest days are the days when she is not there! The place runs smoothly without her micromanagement. Even Mrs. (Adminstrator) commented during Mrs. Riebe’s last week-long vacation, how “smoothly” the facility was run and that there was no tension.
Mrs. Riebe rides roughshod over everyone. On numerous occasions, she has sent employees home for standing up for themselves (and to her). She is so insistent on “being right” and making an example of people, she cuts the
(Page 3 of 4)
staff short to uphold her status as “authoritarian.” Apparently, she has an overly sensitive ego.
Mrs. Riebe has turned staff members against one another by encouraging “tattling,” yet laments the fact that “nobody gets along.”
And what is this new “rule” that she will no longer “accept” personal days? That we must “take care of personal business within two hours and then report to work”? Can your unforeseen (or even planned) personal business that cannot be handled outside of work hours be “taken care of” within two hours?
Within the past two weeks, she has instructed XXXX XXXX to call employees at home who called out due to personal reasons and demand to know the nature of the personal day. Truth be told, sometimes people call out because they simply cannot bear the thought of coming to work because of Mrs. Riebe.
In an article in Personnel Today, Stephen Moir said, “Staff well-being is about providing an environment that is conducive to people wanting to come to work and doing a good job. It is about having managers who manage well, and an organizational culture that is mature enough to recognize that a degree of absence is a natural side effect of employing real people. It is also about creating greater access to flexible working, and a broad range of benefits that motivate and encourage individuals. A truly successful approach to absence management is a holistic one that doesn't just do the hard stuff, but also thinks about the total package that you offer as an employer—friendly colleagues, access to learning opportunities, work-life balance, fair pay and rewards and so on.”
Another employee requested to leave because a family member was in the hospital. Mrs. Riebe told the employee to give her the doctor’s name and number and she (Mrs. Riebe) would call to get the family member’s status. IF she deemed it dire enough, she would allow the employee to leave. Under NO circumstances would I allow an employer to dictate to me whether something was a family emergency or not.
So, you may be wondering, if it’s so terrible at the XXXX XXXX, why do we stay? We have stayed because we genuinely love our residents. Those who have willingly left did so because the environment of Mrs. Riebe creates/created outweighed all the reasons to stay -- because she is hostile and targets people for undetermined reasons or until she finds another target. Many good employees were fired, not for just cause, but because Mrs. Riebe’s ego was bruised.
On several occasions, she called employees to her office with a complaint that is allegedly backed by Mrs.(Administrator). But when Mrs. (Administrator) was asked about it, she claimed to have NO idea what we were talking about. One of them is lying.
Thanks to the media, some members of the general public think we are a filthy place and don’t provide quality care. I assure you, even under duress, we nurses and CNAs provide the best care we can while looking over our shoulders, expecting every moment of the day to be called on the carpet for some perceived wrong-doing.
(Page 4 of 4)
Rather than blame the nurses or CNA(s) for the maggot incident, it may behoove XXXX Hospital to investigate the possibility that a “skin check” was NOT performed because the nurse had too many OTHER senseless tasks to perform. As a matter of fact, it’s also highly unlikely that a “skin check” was performed 12 hours prior.
XXXX XXXX staff is tired of being bullied, harassed, overworked, understaffed and asked to perform tasks that prevent us from providing the care our residents deserve.
I foresee a formal grievance being filed against Mrs. Riebe.
As expected, I cannot sign my name for fear of retribution. However, this letter will be CC’d to the XXXX Hospital Board of Directors members and entities listed below.
Sincerely,
Nurse X
(CC'd recipients follows at end of this post)
AFTER NOTES:
11 days after this letter was written, (CEO) came to the (nursing home) and spoke to a few people who filled her in on the goings-on and gave credence to what is in the letter. (CEO) was IN TEARS! She claimed to have not had ANY idea things were "this bad." (Which is baloney because SEVERAL of us had been over to HR... but we were IGNORED). Within hours, Wendy Riebe was TERMINATED. She left the facility for good on Aug. 21 at 2:31 p.m.... after her husband arrived with a truck to remove her PERSONAL REFRIGERATOR from her office!
Also--the day after Wendy Riebe was fired, the head of HR as well as (hospital's) social worker came over to the (nursing home). They said they were "SOOOO sorry" and they "understood" how traumatized we were from the ABUSE. They PROMISED to come back over and meet with EACH of us individually.... Yeah, THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
SIDE NOTE:
The stupid water mugs were discontinued shortly after Wendy Riebe was fired.
The "single CNA" doing 10-12 showers per day was also discontinued shortly after Wendy Riebe was fired.
CC:
XXXX, Chair
XXXX, M.D., Vice Chair/Chair of Finance
XXXX, Secretary/Chair of Patient Care
XXXX, Ex Officio Chair
Maine Department of Labor
54 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
Maine State Board of Nursing
161 Capitol St.
158 State House Station
Augusta, Maine , 04333-0158
Department of
Health and Human Services
221 State Street
Augusta, Maine 04333-0040
