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Employee raises safety concerns about Atrium Health asking non-medical personnel to go to 'mission critical areas'

An Atrium Health employee contacted the Defenders team with concerns about the hospital’s re-deployment plan.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A WCNC Charlotte Defenders investigation is looking into a local hospital’s effort to fight the coronavirus.

An Atrium Health employee contacted the Defenders team with concerns about the hospital’s re-deployment plan. She says Atrium asked employees to sign a form agreeing to be deployed to critical areas to help with the pandemic.  

The employee says she’s worried about what it means if she refuses to sign the form.

The employee, who asked not to be identified, says she does IT work for Atrium Health, so she doesn’t come in contact with patients, and she’s worried that could change under the new plan.

Across the country, there is an unimaginable need for medical help. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo made a desperate plea.

“Please come help us in New York,” Governor Cuomo previously said.

Brittany Akinsola responded. She’s a critical care nurse from Charlotte who made the trip to New York.

“We would want someone to come serve us,” Akinsola previously said.

RELATED: Charlotte nurse treating patients in NYC’s COVID-19 hot spot

However closer to home, a Charlotte-area hospital’s recruitment effort is raising questions. An Atrium Health employee says she’s concerned about the hospital’s re-deployment effort.   

She sent WCNC Charlotte documents detailing the plan.

According to a letter, Atrium Health is asking employees to deploy to ‘mission-critical areas’ in preparation for a surge in volume related to coronavirus. The documents show it not only includes nurses and doctors, but also the non-clinical staff who don’t typically come in contact with patients. 

The employee says workers are being asked to sign a form agreeing to the deployment. According to documents, once the form is signed, employees will be committed to taking any ‘reasonable role’ with their job skills being considered.   

For those who decline to sign the form, it says they have to use PTO time if there is no work in their regular assignment. The employee says she’s concerned that if she decided not to sign the document, she might lose her job altogether.

The employee says right now the deployment only applies to hourly workers and she’s salaried, but she’s concerned salaried workers could be next.

In response to specific questions from WCNC Charlotte about details of the deployment effort, Atrium Health provided the following statement:

“Given the current state of emergency, we are preparing for a significant surge of patients who have a virus the world has never seen before. And we couldn’t be more proud of our healthcare workers who are on the front lines of caring for our patients and communities.

At a time when thousands of organizations and many health systems across the country, and even locally, are facing significant financial hardships and laying off workers, we are striving to ensure our employees maintain meaningful roles. Further, we are working tirelessly to ease the personal burdens that many of our teammates are facing by significantly enhancing childcare benefits, providing food and lodging options, and creating a Caregiver Heroes Fund for employees with special financial needs caused by the coronavirus – to name a few. We have also created additional choices for teammates who are willing to take on alternative assignments in this time of need.

Above all, the safety and well-being of our teammates and health of our patients remain our highest priorities, and we are guided daily by our mission to improve health, elevate hope, and advance healing for all.”

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