Hospital: Plans cause concern

Except for a very few departments the employees at Whidbey General Hospital have received early retirement packages. These packets offer some severance pay and any vacation that has accrued based on length of employment. We have till Dec. 23 to consider the offer and turn in our packets if we choose to accept. At that time someone will sift through the packets and decide who will be given the option of leaving.

I understand about 30 of us will be given the option of leaving. We will have waived any rights to sue on the basis of discrimination both now and in the future should we find out the criteria for our being chosen is unfair. Call me irrational but that galls me a bit. It apparently has not occurred to upper management that this may have some collateral damage. In the departments where there are already shortages of employees suppose someone who has received an offer to go elsewhere decides now that the hospital is faltering is a good time to accept such an offer?

Morale among employees is very low, this is a tough decision even for one as long in the tooth as I am and I am disturbed that the hospital is reserving the right to decide who leaves until all the packets are in and they can pick and choose as they like without explanation. Perhaps you would say that we have made a choice so we shouldn’t complain about the circumstances but it is not to me a real choice because we are being asked to accept the offer with absolutely no guarantee that there really is any offer.

It is sad that we are in this situation and I still don’t feel the community has been given a real accounting of how we find ourselves here, or what services will be cut. With staff cuts service cuts can’t be far behind.

Pat Wallace

Oak Harbor

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